Learning to Live
by iSparkleToo
Summary: Bella is trapped in an abusive relationship. When fate gifts her a way out with one, life-changing condition, can she learn to overcome her past and eventually begin to heal...? AU/AH/OOC Updates every Sunday.
1. Chapter 1

Long time reader, first time writer.

First things first - This is not only my first ever FanFic, but this is the first novel-length piece of fiction I've actually managed to finish! :D (snaps for me!) As in, the good news is, you can rest assured that I won't go AWOL half way through posting it and leave you hanging, because the final draft is 100% finished and sitting happily on my computer and a memory stick. :) That said, I am absolutely _terrified _of how you guys actually react to it... :/

HUUUGE thanks to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) which helped to kick start this writing journey for me, and also to my awesometastic RL beta Robyn for nagging me until this fanfic was finally finished. :D

I'll post the first few chapters this week, and after that it will be one chapter every Sunday night.

Finally, this chp is so short it's kind of like a prologue... Although I chose to call it chp 1 instead of Prologue since chp 2 follows on so much from it... jsyk... :P

Enjoy!

:D

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><p><strong>Learning to Live<strong>

"Bella, Bella, Bella," said the young doctor, shaking his head and smiling softly. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Sorry, Dr Whitlock," mumbled Bella, her eyes refusing to meet his. "You know how clumsy I am..."

Jasper Whitlock sat down slowly beside her, carefully inspecting the deep gash in her cheek as she winced.

"There's a lot of bruising," he muttered to himself as he prodded her gently. "You're going to need stitches. But you're lucky, the skin is very cleanly cut." Bella nodded shortly; she was no longer a stranger to the still-dreaded needle and thread. "Are you injured anywhere else?"

Her eyes stayed focused on her hands as they toyed with each other in her lap. "No," she mumbled. "I mean, there's a few bruises, but I'm fine."

Jasper's eyes searched her face with concern and compassion. "Bella... Is everything alright?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "I'm fine," she repeated, more clearly this time.

"Bella, this is the third time I've seen you here this month. Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

Her eyes narrowed in determination. "I slipped taking out the trash, Dr Whitlock. I'm clumsy, that's all. I'm fine. Now can somebody please stitch me up so I can go home?" Her pitch began to rise, her voice wavering. "I need to have dinner ready by the time Felix gets home from work..."

Jasper sighed and stood up. "I'll get Angela to fix you up." He searched her face once more, his brilliant blue eyes burning into hers. "Bella..."

"Please, Dr Whitlock. I really need to get home."

He closed his mouth and gave her a curt nod, turning on his heel and walking away swiftly, and exhaled a deep breath as he reached the nurses' station.

"Angela, darlin'," he drawled, his slight southern accent still strange in the small northwestern town. "Can you take care of some stitches for Bella Swan? She's in bed 6."

Angela raised her eyebrows slightly. "She's back again?" Jasper nodded and she sighed. "I wish that girl would just see sense..."

"I try to talk to her every time she comes in," he agreed, rolling his eyes, "but you know how stubborn she is. All we can do is patch her up, send her home, and hope for the best."

Angela ran a hand through her hair in agitation as she walked briskly towards bed 6. She knew Dr Whitlock was right, but she couldn't help feeling both angry with and sorry for the young woman who lay back against the flat hospital pillows, eyes closed, breathing nervously.

"How are we doing today, Bella?" she asked, putting on a false brightness as she began to gently clean the wound below Bella's eye.

Bella grimaced, but relaxed slightly in the nurse's friendly presence. "Hi Angela. Not too bad, I guess... I mean, I've had worse."

"That you have," murmured Angela quietly as she readied the local anesthetic.

Bella held her breath as the injection went in, and let it out again slowly as numbness began to seep over the right side of her face. She closed her eyes as Angela began to push the edges of her cut together, gritting her teeth and trying not to notice the soft sound of the thread pulling swiftly through her skin. She forced her breathing to stay even, and ignored the nurse's comment.

"All done," said Angela, after what seemed like only a few seconds. She carefully smoothed a small white bandage over the stitches and snapped off her gloves. "Bella..." She hesitated, before continuing carefully. "I know you don't want to talk to Dr Whitlock... but if there's anything going on... anything you want to share with someone in confidence..."

Bella took a deep breath and looked Angela in the eye. "There's nothing. Really. I know you guys find it hard to believe that someone could be as clumsy as I am, but it's true. I can't help it if I can't manage to walk across a flat surface without finding something to trip over!" She forced herself to smile a little, trying to break the tension, and the corners of Angela's mouth rose half-heartedly in return.

"Alright, Bella. But if there's ever anything you want to talk about..."

"You'll be the first person I turn to Angela. I promise."

**~o0o~**

Bella shrank back further into the hood of her cheap plastic raincoat, trying in vain to keep her face dry as she trudged along the sidewalk, the heavy sheets of rain making the ten-minute walk from the hospital to the flat she shared with her boyfriend Felix feel like thirty. She attempted to dodge the puddles, hopping nimbly from side to side whenever there was room, but was constantly buffeted by passers-by dashing desperately for the nearest cover. She was in no hurry to get home. She wondered whether Alice and Rosalie, her lifelong friends and – at this point – almost sisters, would be back from Seattle, but knowing Alice's compulsive need to appraise every single item of clothing in every single store, they wouldn't be returning till late in the night. Rose and Alice hadn't approved when Bella moved in with Felix straight after college. She had met him on the very first day, both of them majoring in philosophy with no idea what they wanted to do with their lives, and although Bella had soon switched to elementary education and Felix to an engineering degree, their mutual attraction remained undeterred. By the time they were graduating, Bella had convinced herself that despite her friends' worries – though Alice was on the other side of the country taking an interior design course and at the time had never met Felix, Rose had told her many stories that resulted in frequent worried phone calls to Bella begging her to rethink the decision – moving in together was the perfect next step in their lives. She sighed quietly to herself as she finally entered the shelter of her building, and moved slowly and silently up the stairs to the second floor. A year and a half later, she had never felt more unsure.

**~o0o~**

On entering the apartment she went straight to the kitchen, busying her mind with the task ahead of her: preparing Felix's dinner. She felt herself move about the room on auto-pilot, the unnerving lack of feeling that still lingered in her cheek adding to her dreamlike state. Without thinking she boiled pasta, diced tomatoes, artfully dodged the drops of hot oil that spat in her face as they met with the ground beef she lowered carefully into the pan. Dropping the empty plastic meat tray into the overflowing garbage can, she forced herself to ignore the stained shards of glass that lay conspicuously on top. She tensed, woken from her trance, when she heard keys rattling in the door. Felix strode down the hall and into the open kitchen, his huge frame dwarfing Bella and seeming too big for the tiny apartment. He glanced at Bella indifferently as she cowered over the stove, busying herself with the meal and not meeting his gaze. His eyes flicked quickly over to take in the empty dining table and without a word he opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, disappearing into the living room where Bella heard the flatscreen being turned on and the shouts of an over-enthusiastic sports commentator filling the air. She exhaled shakily, before spinning around quickly to save the pot of pasta before it boiled over.

**~o0o~**

Bella sat at the table opposite Felix, both of them eating in silence. Suddenly Felix let his knife and fork fall loudly to his empty plate and pushed it away from him. Bella looked up nervously to find his eyes scrutinizing her.

"You look tense," he said in a calm voice, deliberately ignoring the conspicuous white bandage that she had been trying to shield with her hair all evening.

"I'm fine," she said quietly, lifting her half empty plate and beginning to stand. Felix reached swiftly across the table to stop her, and she flinched. A look of annoyance flashed across his face.

"I'll take these in."

He walked across the room, the two plates balanced easily in his large hands, and she heard the sound of the faucet filling up the sink. Plates clattering. The water being shut off. He came back into view and stalked over to her, his eyes wary. Coming to an abrupt stop behind her chair, he rested his hands lightly on Bella's shoulders, before suddenly digging his fingers into her muscles. Her heart thudded against her chest and she froze, but instead of the pain she anticipated she felt only the rhythmic movement of his fingertips as he kneaded the knotted tissue on either side of her neck.

"Just relax, baby," he murmured, his voice blowing softly in her ear as he bent down to her level. She willed her hands to stop shaking, hiding them under her napkin away from his watchful gaze. His hands began to press a little harder as he felt her body remain tense and anxious. "Loosen up." This time his breath was in the other ear.

She focused on relaxing her shoulders and relieving the tension in her muscles, begging her body to obey as she felt Felix's fingers pressing deeper and deeper into her skin. Suddenly he stopped, hands grasping her shoulders tightly. Too tight. His fingers were cutting into her, she could feel bruises beginning to form. Without warning he suddenly pushed himself strongly off her small frame to his full height and paced quickly and angrily out of the room, slamming the bedroom door loudly behind him as Bella jumped in fright.

She heard him moving around, getting ready for bed, and her heartbeat gradually began to slow. Quietly, she washed the dishes and cleared up the kitchen, doing her best not to disturb Felix – he worked long hours, and if he didn't get enough sleep he became cranky and bad-tempered. The room in order, Bella curled up quietly on the couch, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing that was beginning to come from the deep cut on her cheek, and switched on the TV, the volume as low as it could go. She waited a while, then pulled the old, thin afghan from the back of the couch and covered herself with it, laying down and tentatively closing her eyes when she was sure her boyfriend was deeply asleep.

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><p>...Reviews make Felix work late...<p>

[Also - if anyone knows how to separate paragraphs here on Ffn without actually putting something between them, please let me know! Every time I try doing a double space between them, it overrides it when I click save... :/ ]


	2. Chapter 2

Just a couple things to mention for this chapter -

1. First off, I just want to make everyone aware that fortunately, I do not have personal experience of domestic abuse. I have tried my hardest to make this story seem realistic (wasn't exactly my brightest idea to decide to write about something I don't have experience in, but apparently I don't have control over my brain :P ), and I apologize if those who have experienced it feel that parts of the story are unrealistic - I did my best.

2. Also, there _will_ be some time jumps between some of the chapters (anything from just a few days to two or three weeks). I have tried to make it clear within the chapter how much time has passed, but if you get confused go ahead and mentioned it in a review and I'll clear it up for you. :) [for really big time jumps, I'll try and mention it in the chapter notes]

Huge thank you again to my beta Robyn. *luff*

And now... Introducing **Mike**! :P

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Rise and shine, buttercup!"

Bella groaned and rolled over, the muted voice of her best friend pulling her from the depths of sleep from the other side of the apartment door. When Felix had left early that morning she had crept into the bed, managing to catch a couple hours' uninterrupted sleep, but she knew that any chance of continuing that now was long gone. She dragged herself upright, wrapping herself in her old, threadbare robe as the incessant banging on the door grew louder. She cringed as she thought of the neighbors, attempting their Sunday morning lie-ins, and was once again thankful for Felix's frequent weekend meetings – she would never have thought such a demanding job would bring her so much relief.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she muttered, as she fumbled with the deadbolt in her sleepy haze. She could picture Alice hopping up and down outside the door in excitement, like a little pixie on a sugar high. She had barely unlocked the door before it burst open and Alice flew past her in a whirlwind of shopping bags and adrenaline. Rosalie followed her at a more leisurely pace, rolling her eyes at Bella and plonking herself onto a stool in the kitchen.

"What's up, Bells?" She laughed at Bella's sleep-filled expression.

Bella just shook her head confusedly, rubbing her eyes and blinking stupidly at Alice as she buzzed around, making coffee and piling croissants onto a plate from a mysterious paper bag. She yawned loudly, her head tipping back and her thick hair cascading over her shoulders. Alice gasped.

"Oh Bella…"

Bella cringed, pulling her face and the tell-tale white bandage on her cheek back under the cover of her hair, and peeked up at her friends through her eyelashes, nervous and ashamed. Rosalie's face was full of sympathy, while Alice's portrayed a combination of sadness, hurt, and anger at the all-too-familiar situation.

"It's nothing," Bella mumbled, turning away and reaching into a cupboard for mugs for the coffee. "He just got a little upset yesterday afternoon…"

Rose sighed, shaking her head sadly, and Alice took Bella's hands, standing on her toes to better look Bella in the eyes.

"Bella, what he's doing to you… It's not right. It's not ok; you know it and he knows it. You can't let him keep hurting you like this. It needs to –"

"Stop." Bella cut her off angrily, clenching her jaw as she came to Felix's defense. "Felix doesn't mean to hurt me. Everyone gets angry sometimes; it's human nature. It's not his fault. I love him and he loves me, so please stop trying to paint him as the villain every time you see me." She snatched her hands out of Alice's and slammed the cupboard door closed, the mugs clanking together as she grabbed them and filled them with coffee. She glared at her friends, daring them to continue with their accusations. They dipped their heads quietly and said nothing.

They sat together for a few minutes, drinking in silence, the tension in the small apartment thick. Suddenly Alice drained her cup and jumped up purposefully, hauling a large shopping bag from the pile by her feet. She started pulling items of clothing from it at random, piling them into Bella's forcibly outstretched arms.

"Try these on. They should be a perfect fit." Her voice was clipped.

"Alice…" Bella whined slowly, her natural aversion to Alice favorite hobby outweighing her previous emotions.

"Quit it, Bella." Alice glared at her, her tiny frame surprisingly intimidating. "You refused point blank to come with us to Seattle yesterday, ruining the plans I've been making for weeks, so the least you can do now is try on the clothes I bought for you!" Her forehead wrinkled and her eyes narrowed in anger.

Without warning, Rosalie let out a giggle, then pressed her hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to reign in further laughter at Alice's ridiculous reaction. Suddenly the tension was broken, and all three girls dissolved into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

Bella, still smiling, bundled the clothes properly into her arms and made her way quickly into the bedroom before Alice could give her any more. She figured she could at least humor her excitable little friend, who cared so much for her and yet refused to even try to understand her relationship with Felix. She quickly pulled on a light dress, rolling her eyes at Alice's idealism – it was barely February, still winter here. Even in the summer, she'd be lucky to find more than a handful of days when it would be warm enough to wear it. Still, she thought, as she admired herself in the full-length mirror, it was a beautiful dress. She spun around slowly and noticed the faint purple marks on the tops of her shoulders, matching the shapes of Felix's fingers. Closing her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath and pulled the dress back off her head. She couldn't wear it.

She searched the pile again and found a thin blue sweater, slipping it over her head before Alice and Rose could come looking for her. Going back into the kitchen, she twirled around in a circle for her friends, who were now tucking into the croissants. Alice clapped her hands, a delighted smile on her face.

"Perfect!" She jumped off her chair and snatched away the plates, leaving Rose's hand hovering in mid air, her face looking down mystified at the place where her last bite of food had been. "Come on, Bells, you're getting out of the house today if it's the last thing we ever make you do!"

Bella opened her mouth to protest, but stopped short at the look on Rose's face. Recovered from the missing food incident, Rosalie was standing up, hands on her hips, looking at Bella like she was trying very hard _not _to say exactly what was on her mind.

"Bella," she began, choosing her words carefully, "we've hardly seen you these past few months. It almost feels like you've been avoiding us, keeping yourself cooped up in this pathetic little box of an apartment and away from any human contact as much as you can. Even down at the school, they say you've been calling in sick almost more often that you've been at work. You need to get out and spend some time with decent human beings for a while."

Bella felt a pang of sadness at the mention of her beloved first-graders. It was true, she had been taking quite a few sick days in the last while; sometimes, after Felix had been in one of his moods, she couldn't bear to let anyone see the state she was in. She bit her lip as she thought of her poor students, undoubtedly confused by the ever-changing stream of substitute teachers interspersed with her own presence. Her first proper job out of college, and she was already letting them down. She sighed, and looked back up at her friends, forcing a smile onto her face.

"You're right, Rose. I'm sorry, you guys, I guess I just got caught up in… things… But I'm free all of today, so let's go do something. Whatever you want!"

Alice laughed, and linked arms with her friend. "Oh Bella, you're going to regret saying that!"

**~o0o~**

"Stop!" ordered Alice, stopping dead in the middle of the sidewalk and holding up one shopping bag-laden hand army-style, as Bella and Rosalie promptly walked straight into her.

"What the hell?" muttered Rosalie, picking up the bags that had fallen in the collision, as Alice took off again, skipping across the road to a half-empty café.

"It's 3 o'clock, girls!" she called back airily. "Time for a re-fuel!"

Bella's eyes flicked between Alice and the large cake display in the window of the café warily. "I don't think that girl needs any more sugar…"

Rosalie linked arms with her as they followed Alice across the road defeatedly. "Come on, it'll be worse if we don't do what she says. We don't want to incur the wrath of the Alice Brandon!"

Bella giggled as they entered the café, joining their friend at a small table in the corner where she was already pouring over the menu.

"How am I supposed to choose between the strawberry cheesecake and the chocolate mud pie?" she wailed as they sat down, throwing her hands up in the air in dismay. She brought her arms down and gazed at the other two meekly from beneath her eyelids. "D'you think it would be really bad of me to have both?"

Bella rolled her eyes and Rosalie tried to be diplomatic.

"Alice, you burn calories faster than anyone else on the planet. You could eat this entire shop and you wouldn't put on a pound! Quit fishing for compliments!"

Alice scowled and went back to inspecting the mouthwatering menu, and soon all three girls were digging into the best desserts the café had to offer.

While Rose and Alice were heatedly discussing the new color scheme Alice was planning for the apartment they shared, Bella glanced absentmindedly around the small room. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the young man sitting at the table opposite them seemed to be looking curiously in her direction. Quickly, she lowered her gaze and turned her head back to the conversation, pretending to seem interested. A few seconds later, when she thought she felt his gaze leave her, she chanced sneaking a closer look at him from behind her hair. He had dirty blonde hair that framed two intensely blue eyes, and a round face with a distinctly boyish look. His mouth seemed to be permanently locked in a cheeky half-smile. Without warning, his head suddenly snapped around to face her and he winked casually, his grin widening. Mortified at the attention, Bella spun back to her friends and threw herself into the conversation with gusto, muttering about the advantages and disadvantages of warm reds versus cool blues. Suddenly, she felt a hand on the back of her chair, and she jumped and stiffened, goosebumps instinctively creeping up the back of her neck.

"Pardon me, ladies," said a voice that immediately screamed 'try-hard', "but I couldn't help noticing your striking friend here." He brushed Bella's hair from her face as she turned around and looked into her eyes in a gesture so uncomfortably cheesy that it made Bella cringe and Rosalie snort with laughter.

"Mike Newton," he said, offering Bella his hand. She shook it gingerly, trying to ignore the cold, sweaty dampness that was being pressed into her palm.

"Bella Swan."

He grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pushed it close to Bella's, straddling it backwards and almost tripping over himself in his haste. His face warmed, but other than that, his expression remained cool.

"So, Bella Swan, how's about it? You and me, drinks tonight, pick you up at eight?"

Bella's eyes widened at his direct proposal and she blushed, feeling Alice's body shaking beside her as she attempted to contain her laughter at the boy's presumptuous eagerness.

"Um… Sorry, Mike, but I have a… boyfriend…" She swallowed thickly at the word and trailed off, but managed to keep her face neutral, and Mike didn't seem to notice.

His face fell slightly, but he quickly brought back his grin and kept up his cheerful attitude.

"Oh well, better luck next time, I guess!" He winked again. "Give me a call when you see sense!" He grabbed her arm suddenly and pulled a pen from his jeans pocket, scribbling a line of numbers on the back of her hand. He stood up, and touched the bandage on her cheek gently, almost tenderly, before placing a sloppy kiss quickly just beneath it and walking quickly out of the café and down the street.

Bella turned slowly back to face her friends, her face a mask of confusion and shock as Alice and Rosalie shook with laughter, tears beginning to trickle down their faces at the sight of her expression.

"What just happened…?"

"Bella… Your face… And then he…!" gasped Alice, trying to breath around her laughter, while Rosalie's shoulders shook silently.

"That was possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen!"

Bella shook her head, smiling now too, as she shivered and cringed with embarrassment at the thought of Mike's ambush.

"Although you know," said Rosalie, sobering up a little, "maybe you should have said yes! Mike seems like a slightly more cheerful guy than Felix…"

Bella lowered her head and gritted her teeth, her breath catching a little in her throat. Alice narrowed her eyes at Rose, annoyed with her for ruining the carefree moment, but couldn't help partially agreeing with her.

"Well," she hedged slowly, her high-pitched voice unusually solemn, "maybe not Mike… but it mightn't be such a bad idea to think about dating other guys, Bella. I know you think you love Felix, but –"

"Guys, please." Bella's face crumpled, and Alice and Rosalie could see her eyes begin to shine with moisture. "Can't you just leave it alone for five minutes? Please don't a fun day out together…"

Alice scooted her chair closer to Bella's and put her arm around her friend, pulling her close.

"It's okay, Bells, we're sorry. We'll try not to bring it up again." She looked over the top of Bella's head worriedly, nodding at Rose encouragingly as she reached around and patted Bella's hair soothingly. Bella sniffed, and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry I'm such a basket case, guys." She smiled ruefully, trying to ease the tension. Rosalie smiled back sympathetically, her heart going out to her broken friend.

"We wouldn't want you any other way."

**~o0o~**

That evening the girls sat around Bella's living room sipping wine, their feet sore, their wallets lighter and their worries temporarily forgotten. Bella and Rosalie had marveled on leaving the café at Alice's uncanny ability to _still _find enjoyment in traipsing around malls and in and out of side streets, even after spending a day and a half emptying the stores of Seattle, and now they were laughing freely as she paraded around the room showcasing her new purchases. Bella glanced briefly at the clock on the wall and slipped quickly into the kitchen to check on the casserole that was simmering away quietly on the stove, before returning to the party in the next room. As the sky outside grew darker, she couldn't stop her eyes flicking back to the clock every few minutes, despite the happy atmosphere.

"_Bell-a!_" complained Rosalie, as Bella's head turned towards the little wooden circle on the wall yet again. "Lighten up! You're killing our buzz here!"

"Yeah," said Alice, pouting, as she emerged from the bedroom in yet another new outfit. "Ferocious Felix won't be home for ages!"

Bella lowered her eyes. "He's not –"

She stopped short and sat up sharply when she heard the front door opening, her heart beating quickly. Despite their reassurances, all three girls went quiet as they heard Felix's heavy footsteps coming slowly along the short corridor. He stopped in the doorway of the room.

"Rosalie. Alice." He nodded at them, before his eyes came to rest on Bella.

"Felix," they replied darkly in unison, Alice stretching up to her full height and Rosalie hitting him with a glare she reserved only for those she truly detested.

"Alice and Rose were just leaving," said Bella hurriedly after a few seconds, trying to break the awkward silence that had arisen. Rosalie shot her a look.

"Actually, we were wondering if it would be ok if we stayed for dinner this evening Bella," interjected Alice, deliberately directing the question at her friend and ignoring Felix completely. "What with being away in Seattle and then coming here, we haven't had the chance to buy any groceries and I'm pretty sure there's no proper food in our apartment." She eyed Bella carefully, willing her to accept the invitation of a buffer against her boyfriend for another few hours, but Bella looked automatically at Felix.

"Well, I've had a very long and tiring day, girls, so I don't think we're up to entertaining tonight," he stated confidently, while Rosalie scowled at the patronizing "girls". Bella dipped her head once obediently and turned reluctantly to her friends.

"Maybe some other time…" She trailed off as Alice leaned over to hug her fiercely, and watched the girls' retreating backs sadly as they left the couple alone. Without waiting for Felix to say anything, she turned swiftly and took refuge in the kitchen, where the casserole was almost done.

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><p>Let me know what you think... Reviews make me update earlier in the day! :D<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Bit of a longer chapter today! :) Next update will be on Sunday - after that, I will upload a new chapter once a week.

***Caution to sensitive readers: **this chapter contains scene(s) of domestic abuse.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Bella walked down the pristine hospital corridor, suddenly nervous. No matter how many times it was done, having stitches taken out always made her anxious. Alice's incessant chatter in her left ear faded in and out as Bella attempted to control her already shaking hands.

"…such a pity Rose wasn't able to get time off work, you know what it's like down at the salon these days; still, I always manage to make time for my best girlfriend!" Bella rolled her eyes at this comment and laughed despite herself. Knowing Bella's unease with all things medical, and despite their anger at her constant defense of Felix's inhuman behavior, Rose and Alice insisted on coming with her on her frequent trips to the hospital whenever she would tell them the time of her appointment – although she refused point blank to call them on the occasions she ended up in the emergency room – but Bella knew that the frequent appearance of the young, handsome Dr Jasper Whitlock was a strong factor in Alice's dedication.

They sat together in the outpatient waiting room, Alice cooing at excitedly at the images in the tattered magazines that lay scattered haphazardly on the table by the window. Bella kept her head lowered, trying not to catch the eye of any of the now-familiar nurses – that was the problem with living in a small town; everybody knew everyone else's business, and gossip often travelled faster than the person it was about.

**~o0o~**

Eventually Bella was called into the small consultation room, Alice following at her heels like an excited puppy to 'hold her hand'. Her eyes flickered nervously around the room, eyeing the ominous white plastic bottles and individually vacuum-packed surgical blades with dread as the nurse went to fetch Dr Whitlock.

Alice smoothed her hair and sat up straighter as they heard sharp footsteps approaching the door. Bella snorted and rolled her eyes, and Alice looked at her with such a wide-eyed innocence that for a moment, Bella was almost convinced.

"What?"

Bella just shook her head, and laughed as Alice jumped and flushed slightly when the door swung open suddenly and Jasper Whitlock strode in.

"How are we doing today, Bella?" he asked, his voice good-humored, winking at Alice in her flustered state before snapping on gloves and bending over Bella. He carefully removed the bandage on her face and prodded gently at the healing wound. "Any pain, any fluids leaking from the wound at all?"

"No, it feels fine, Dr Whitlock."

"Well, it looks like it's healing perfectly, no swelling at all and no signs of any infection. These stitches will be fine to come out today." He smiled at her warmly, before stepping over to the shelves and rummaging around. Bella immediately closed her eyes, not wanting to see the metallic shine of the instrument as he slipped it out of its packet. Her breathing got shallower and her pulse accelerated as she felt him next to her again, and her hand tightened around Alice's as his gloved fingers fumbled on her cheek. In less than a minute she felt him step away, and as always, was surprised to have felt almost nothing where she expected immense pain, or discomfort at the very least. She opened her eyes slowly to see him returning to her side, this time with a smaller bandage in hand.

"This can come off in about two to three days and you should be just fine, but if there's any problems don't hesitate to call in," he said, smoothening the bandage onto her face once more. He straightened up, removing his latex gloves and turning to Alice. "Now you be sure to take good care of her, Miss Brandon. I don't want to be seeing either of you again." He began to head out the door, but stopped turning his head back with one hand resting on the doorknob. "At least, not in this hospital." He grinned crookedly at Alice and winked again, deep dimples forming at the corners of his mouth, before pulling the door open and continuing fluidly down the corridor.

Bella turned to look at Alice, a laugh bubbling out of her despite her tension at the expression on her friend's face, now blushing pink, as a breath _whooshed_ out of her noisily.

"What do you think he meant? Do you think…?"

Bella giggled, and put her hands on Alice's shoulders to steady her as she bounced around on her chair. "Who knows?" she said in a mysterious voice. "Such a pity he's forbidden us to come back here, so you won't be able to ask him about it."

Alice's face fell, and then took on a conspiratory look.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way…"

**~o0o~**

"Good morning everybody!" said Bella, surveying the group of young, eager faces that sat before her.

"Good morning, Miss Swan," they chanted back in unison.

"I hope you've all been good for Miss Stanley while I've been away," she said, smiling at the frazzled, nervous-looking temp as she left the room quietly. She knew what the children could be like if they sensed weakness, and Jessica Stanley was still in college, taking temporary teaching jobs here and there as part of her work experience. She vaguely hoped no permanent damage had been done to the woman's confidence, but couldn't find it in herself to be too worried – the few time she had met Jessica outside of the classroom, she had seemed rather proud and full of herself.

As she glanced around the room, glad to be back in a place where she felt comfortable and in control, one small, curly-haired boy raised his hand.

"Miss Swan, what happened to your face?"

Bella's hand went automatically to the small bandage on her cheek, cringing inwardly at the question, but she kept her face relaxed, thankful that everything save for a yellowing bruise was hidden. "I fell over on Friday and cut myself, Tyler, but don't worry, I'm ok now."

She heard a boisterous giggle from the back of the room, and a loud, childish voice shouted brashly, "I thought somebody hit you!"

The children laughed somewhat nervously, and Bella sighed gently, fighting to hide her nervous reaction to all children's uncanny ability to guess the truth in certain circumstances. Even at a young age, Jared had never understood the concept of sensitivity.

"No, Jared, nobody hit me, and that's not a very nice thing to say. But," she continued, addressing the class, her natural teaching instincts immediately picking up on an educating opportunity, "you all know what to do if somebody _does _hit you, don't you?"

"Hit them back!" shouted Paul. The class giggled again and Bella frowned, opening her mouth to correct him, but a shrill little voice beat her to it.

"No! You tell your mommy or your daddy, or your teacher, or another grownup!" Rachel scowled at Paul, before turning back to Bella, beaming at giving what she knew was the correct answer and showing Paul up.

Bella fought back a smile at the banter. Paul and Rachel were always taunting each other. He would pull her pigtails, she would cry and then steal his toy cars and motorbikes. She wondered if they would ever learn to get along.

"That's right, Rachel. If somebody ever hits you, or does something mean to you, you tell your parents, or your teacher, or another grownup you trust. And no matter what, you _never_ hit them back, or call them names, or do anything that would hurt them or make them sad."

She walked slowly to the back of the room as she continued with her speech, picking up the tub of glue on Jared's desk and screwing the lid back on, and putting it back up on the shelf where it belonged as he scowled.

"No matter how mean somebody is to you, you never retaliate, which means you never be mean back. But you should _always_ tell a grownup if somebody is doing mean things to you or making you feel sad, because that is bullying and bullying is…"

"Wrong!" chanted back twenty eager voices, and Bella nodded, taking a deep, slightly shaky breath, and wishing she was strong enough to follow her own advice.

**~o0o~**

A few evenings later Bella sat in the small living room of the apartment, hunched over the week's lesson plan, deep in thought. She had been loath to leave the comfort and security of the school, the one place she felt she didn't have to defend herself or her actions, but as the janitor made his last rounds she knew she couldn't delay going home any longer. She jumped slightly at the sound of Felix's key in the lock, not having noticed the evening beginning to darken, and glanced longingly towards the kitchen, her usual place of refuge. Felix had left a message on the answering machine saying he would take care of dinner. It was strange. She had heard him arriving home late again last night, the noise of him trudging through the apartment registering only enough in her almost-asleep consciousness to keep her laying still and unnoticed on the couch; and he had left in the morning before she had woken up. Now he lumbered awkwardly through the small door frame, hampered slightly by his briefcase and the bag full of Chinese take-out. Bella rushed forward to take the bag from him and he grunted in acknowledgement without looking up, heading into the bedroom to change out of his suit.

She carefully unpacked the food in the kitchen, dumping it unceremoniously onto plates, then relenting and tidying it up a little, letting her artistic flair shine through for just a moment. Hearing noises from the next room, she quickly lifted the plates and brought them in, balancing them carefully as she stepped over Felix's briefcase and her unmarked pile of math worksheets. Letting her hair swing over her cheek – an anxious habit that now served the extra purpose of camouflaging the ugly scab that scarred her otherwise porcelain skin – she chanced a glance up at the man sitting across from her, almost starting at the strange look on his face. It looked… as if he was trying to smile kindly, but wasn't quite sure how it was done. Bella, surprised and slightly confused by this new side of Felix, tried to smile meekly back, but she was sure the fear and worry were still evident in her eyes. Awkwardly, they began to eat their food in silence.

"So," began Felix in a gruff voice, startling Bella so that she jumped slightly. He looked a little disgruntled at her reaction, but continued nonetheless. "Did you, um, have a good day at school?"

Internally, Bella wrinkled her brow in confusion – it had been months since Felix had made polite small talk with her – but she fought to keep her outward appearance neutral. She cleared her throat.

"It was fine," she said in a small voice. "How was your day?"

Felix shrugged. "Can't complain." He saw the still-nervous look on Bella's face, and sighed quickly in frustration, before smoothening his face carefully. "Look Bella, I know I haven't been much fun to be around lately. I know I've been grumpy and sometimes I've taken it out on you, but I want to make sure you know I love you, and I never meant any of it. I would never deliberately hurt you." He reached across the table towards her and Bella flinched, but all he did was stroke her uninjured cheek gently with the back of his large hand. "Bella, look at me."

Slowly, she raised her head and looked into his eyes, and was drawn into their deep sincerity, forgetting everything but the reason she fell in love with him in the first place. "Felix…"

"You have to know I love you Bella. I've missed you…"

Bella tried to remind herself of the reason he was stroking her left cheek instead of her right, but the raw emotion and regret on his face seemed so real to her that she couldn't for a minute believe he wasn't telling the truth.

"I've missed you too Felix," she whispered, closing her eyes as he stood up and came around the table to stand behind her, his large, strong arms wrapping around her from behind like they hadn't in months; and tried to hang on to the moment and keep the past from rushing back to her. Felix loved her, she knew it was true, and she knew he had never meant to hurt her. She knew, as he bent over her shoulder and pressed his cold, hard lips to hers like he hadn't done in months, that from now on, things would be different.

**~o0o~**

Later that night, Bella lay awake in the large king size bed, shivering. It was the first night she'd slept in here in a long time, and it felt suitably unfamiliar. Felix's gentle snoring coming from the far side of the bed did nothing to soothe her back to sleep, and she pulled the blankets closer up to her chin, trying to drift off.

After dinner, Felix had enticed her to the couch to watch a soppy, romantic movie, through which he made frequent, long bathroom breaks and got through a large number of beers. Afterwards, as he had moved towards the bedroom and Bella had turned to the kitchen to tidy up, he grabbed her hand, an uncharacteristic gleam in his eye.

"Come on, Bells. Come to bed. That can wait till the morning."

Bella bit her lip, unsure. As much as she trusted Felix, they hadn't been intimate in such a long time, and now, she was nervous, aching for the security of her makeshift bed-for-one on the couch.

"Come on, baby. Don't leave me in there on my own."

"Felix, I'm not sure…"

His face hardened. "You said that you loved me, Bella. Were you lying?"

"No!" Bella's eyes began to water, and she didn't know what to feel anymore. "Of course I love you, Felix! I didn't mean…"

"Well, come on, then," he cajoled, pulling on her arm more strongly now. "I've missed you. I want you…" His eyes stared at her imploringly, and Bella's resistance disappeared.

And now she lay between the cold sheets, Felix's chest rising and falling rhythmically next to her, with more than a twinge of regret twisting around in her stomach. She had felt detached, though Felix didn't seem to notice, and now she felt strangely empty inside. She shivered again, the chilly night raising goosebumps on her skin despite the extra body head in the bed. She didn't know what to think.

**~o0o~**

The grey light snuck in through a crack in the curtains, a rare bright ray of sunshine hitting Bella smack in the face and waking her rudely from her fitful sleep. She rolled over, disorientated for a minute, before remembering where she was and why. She reached out, but Felix wasn't there, and as she gradually became more alert she heard the faint sound of the coffee machine coming from the kitchen. She glanced at the clock and gasped, sitting up quickly and swinging her legs out of the bed as she realized the time was a lot later than she had thought.

Wrapping her thin robe around her tightly, she tiptoed cautiously into the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Felix, eyes bloodshot, sitting at the counter knocking back a large cup of black coffee. He jumped and winced, swearing, as the toaster popped loudly. He hadn't seemed too drunk last night, but Bella supposed the beers he had had during the movie must have had some effect on him. He grunted uninterestedly when he saw her, but other than that, no greeting was offered.

Worried he had picked up on her lack of enthusiasm the previous night and was offended by it, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, suddenly feeling brave and a little more confident as she whispered in his ear, "Good morning, baby."

He shrugged her off and stood up, ignoring the comment and the hurt look on her face. Grabbing his briefcase and the toast from the toaster, he walked down the hall and yanked open the door.

Bella ran after him, confused once again by his cold shoulder after the remorse he had shown last night.

"What time will you be home tonight? I was thinking maybe we could go out somewhere for dinner."

He turned in the doorway and glared at her, his face so angry that Bella quailed, pulling back into the apartment.

"You just don't get it, do you?" he growled. Bella opened her mouth, but no sound came out, her eyes wide and afraid at his sudden outburst. "You just keep coming after me like some sort of obsessed, lovesick puppy, whining all the time and wallowing in your own misery when I don't fawn on you every second of every day. You need to fucking grown up!" He swung around quickly, his briefcase banging hard into Bella's knee and making her gasp in pain and stumble.

"Felix, wait!"

Her wavering voice seemed to cause some sort of horrible reaction in Felix, and as he turned back, he lunged at her, pushing her sideways into the door frame and cracking her head off the sharp wood. She collapsed to the floor with a muted yelp.

"Wait for yourself, you stupid bitch!" he yelled, his foot connecting roughly with her shoulder as she lay sprawled on the ground. She didn't move. He snorted and rolled his eyes, turning away and continuing down the corridor while letting the heavy door swing shut until it was stopped by her limp body. "Fucking pathetic."

* * *

><p>:O<p>

:/

*runs away and hides under her bed.*

...Let me know what you think...?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is here!

How'd everybody do waiting an entire day longer for this one? :P Because from now on, new chapters are coming only once a week! (I'll upload one every Sunday).

In the meantime, if you're not already following me on Twitter, do it! (iSparkleToo) If enough people are interested, I ***may* **be posting sneek peeks/spoilers each week a couple days before the next chapter goes up... :O :)

Now, without further ado...!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Emmett was woken by the familiar angry shouts coming from the apartment down the hall. Thankfully, the fight was short-lived, and as he rolled out of bed and clambered sleepily into the shower, peace descended over the morning once again. Stepping out into his contrastingly cold apartment from the steamy heat of the bathroom, he shivered, goosebumps creeping over his skin. Something felt weird about this morning. He shook his head, scolding himself for staying up late the previous night watching 'Most Haunted' reruns, and went back into his bedroom to dress quickly. Glancing at the clock, he picked up his bag, making a split-second decision to pick up something for breakfast on his way to the gym where he worked as a fitness instructor.

As he locked the door behind him, the uncomfortable feeling crept up his spine once again. He shook it off, running his hand over his face to wake himself up and wondering what the hell was wrong with him today. Walking down the hall, he checked his watch again and swore under his breath, quickening his pace.

Suddenly he stopped in his tracks, his jaw gaping open as his whole body froze. Lying in the doorway of apartment 2B was a young woman, stretched out on her back, her eyes closed and a huge purple bruise forming around a deep cut in her temple, just above a partially-healed gash on the same cheek.

"Shit," he whispered, still stunned, recognising the woman, whom he had spoken to once or twice, as the timid half of the couple whose heated row had woken him that morning. Suddenly, his obligatory first aid training finally kicked into action.

Dropping his bag, he rushed to the woman's side, kneeling down and gingerly tilting her head back a fraction to see if she was breathing. The weak, barely-there puffs of air that tickled his cheek didn't do much to reassure him, and his fingers feverishly searched out a pulse on the pale skin of her neck. It was weak, barely a flutter, and he swore again, cursing the person that could do this to such a helpless creature.

"Miss Swan?" he pleaded urgently. "Miss Swan, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Nothing. Fumbling, he reached for his bag and pulled out his cell phone, somehow managing to dial 911 with shaking fingers.

**~o0o~**

"Alice, sit!" growled Rosalie, her temper on a short fuse. Alice stopped pacing momentarily to glance at Rosalie, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, before continuing to wear a path into the hospital floor. Rose turned to the large man sitting opposite her. "You don't have to stay, you know. Thank you, so, so much, for getting her in here, but please, don't feel like you have an obligation..." She trailed off, her own pain visible in her taut face.

Emmett shook his head.

"I want to stay," he mumbled, his eyes with worry for the woman he barely knew. "I feel like... I heard them fighting all the time, I should have known something like this would happen. I should have done something to stop it."

Rosalie snorted. Some of her snark remained, even through her anxiety. "Don't flatter yourself. The rest of us weren't exactly clueless." Emmett didn't laugh.

Suddenly, Dr Whitlock appeared through the double doors. Alice and Rosalie rushed over to him, Alice for once not remembering to blush in his presence. They looked at him, their question displayed clearly on their faces.

Dr Whitlock took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"She's going to be ok." The girls' sighs of relief were audible, and even Emmett, who had walked quickly over to join them, seemed to relax. "She lost some blood, and has moderate concussion, but other than that and a few large bumps and bruises, she should be just fine. She's still a little groggy, but you can go in to see her for a few minutes – just make sure she doesn't get worked up."

Alice, her overwhelming relief getting the better of her tiny body, suddenly lurched forward and grasped Dr Whitlock around the neck, hugging him tightly in gratitude. Jasper, surprised, was speechless for a moment before coughing awkwardly and hesitantly patting her on the back. Realizing her actions, Alice jumped back from him like he was a hot poker, her cheeks flaming, and practically hid behind Rose, who just snickered in amusement.

"Um..." Dr Whitlock continued, clearing his throat again, "I should also let you know that I've notified the hospital psychologist, and she's going to come down and talk to Bella as soon as she's up to it."

"Don't worry, Doc," said Rosalie gravely. "There's no way Bella's going near that douchebag again, even if I have to tie her down to stop her."

Jasper raised an eyebrow at the pure acidity in Rose's words, but she just smiled sweetly, and followed Alice in the direction of Bella's room. Emmett hung behind, unsure.

"Uh, I guess I should head off, now that she's ok," he said awkwardly, turning towards the door.

"Nuh-uh." Rosalie grabbed the back of his jacket, stopping him in his tracks. "You're not getting away that easily."

"She'll want to thank you," explained Alice, her voice soft. "Trust us, we know Bella. She'll probably apologize for upsetting your day." Rosalie sniggered but nodded in agreement.

"Come on."

**~o0o~**

Alice tiptoed around the door of Bella's room, followed by Rose and Emmett. They crowded nervously around the bed, Rosalie and Alice holding each of Bella's hands while Emmett hung back a little to give them some space. Bella's eyelids fluttered gently.

"Al?" she croaked, spotting her friend. Gingerly she turned her head, wincing. "Rose?"

"We're here, Bells," soothed Alice, stroking her hair gently. Bella relaxed, and then noticed Emmett standing in the shadows. She frowned groggily, confused.

"Wh... What are you doing here, Emmett?" She winced again, the confusion and disorientation adding to her pounding headache.

"Emmett was the one who found you," said Rosalie softly, but with a hint of admiration in her voice. Bella looked at Emmett and blushed.

"I... Thank you, Emmett," she said, lowering her eyes in embarrassment. "You didn't have to do that." Rosalie sighed, and looked pointedly at Emmett as if to say 'we told you so'.

"Don't worry about it, Miss Swan," said Emmett, trying to shrug it off. "Anybody would have done the same."

Pink still colored Bella's cheeks, but to Emmett's relief, she let the good deed go.

"Please, call me Bella," she replied earnestly. "And thank you, again, for… saving my life."

"My pleasure, Bella." He smiled broadly, and Bella could have sworn she was a twinkle in Rosalie's eye. Despite her broken state, she found herself suppressing a strange internal giggle. Rosalie had always had her eye on Bella's "hunky" neighbor, and she had a feeling that now introductions had officially been made, they would be seeing a lot more of each other. She almost felt sorry for Emmett – once Rose got her claws into him, there would be no escaping.

Emmett glanced at his watch, his forehead wrinkling.

"Oh," gasped Bella, biting her lip. "I'm so sorry! You must have somewhere to be!"

"Well, I called work to say I'd be delayed," he said awkwardly, "but I should probably get going all the same." He started shuffling towards the door.

"I'll walk you out with you," said Rosalie, her instincts – and charm – returning now that she knew Bella was going to be ok, striding across the room and hooking her arm through Emmett's in one fluid movement before he could even register what was happening. "I could do with a cup of coffee. Bella? Alice?" She raised an eyebrow briefly at the others. Bella shook her head carefully.

"Decaf," smiled Alice, "but don't feel you need to rush, I'm not going to dehydrate any time soon." She winked at Bella, and Rosalie just grinned slyly at both of them before whisking a bemused Emmett from the room.

As the door swung shut, the girls' smiles faded.

"Bella…" said Alice softly, shaking her head, lost for words.

"I'm sorry Al…" Tears began to trickle slowly from Bella's eyes, and she fought not to let the horror of her emotions overcome her.

"Shh," soothed Alice, pulling a chair from the corner of the room to sit beside Bella's bed and resuming stroking her hair. "It's not your fault, you know that."

"But I wouldn't listen to you and Rose!" Bella whimpered, the floodgates threatening to burst open. "You kept trying to make me accept what Felix was really like, but I wouldn't believe you!"

"It's ok, Bells, what matters is that you're alright, and that you understand now. And that you _never _let that bastard into your life again."

Bella sniffed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't go back there…"

"Don't you _dare _go back to him!" shrieked Alice, standing up to her full height and making Bella jump. "You're staying with Rose and I, at least until you find your feet again."

Bella bit her wobbling lip.

"Does Rose know about this? You know how much we fought when we shared a dorm in college… Plus, your apartment really isn't meant for three. And there's only two bedrooms…"

"Bella." Alice stood, hands on hips, staring at Bella with an angry frown on her face, her lips a thin line. "You are staying with us. You and Rose will be fine. The apartment is plenty big enough. You _do not get a choice _in this decision. So suck it up and say thanks. Got it?"

Bella looked up at her meekly from beneath her eyelashes.

"Thanks, Al."

Alice smiled, and plonked back down onto the chair.

"That's the spirit!" She ruffled Bella's hair, and Bella winced, but tried to smile. Alice pulled back apologetically, surveying the large bandage covering Bella's temple.

Bella followed her gaze and pulled a face.

"_Yaaay_," she drawled sardonically. "More stitches to come out!"

**~o0o~**

A while later, Rosalie finally made it back to the room, looking distinctly flushed and very evidently sans coffee. Alice smirked, but said nothing.

"Um… Congratulations?" offered Bella sleepily.

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Bella…" she said, laughing. "What would we do without you?"

Alice snorted at that.

"You mean, _who _would you do if it wasn't for her need to be saved by her hot, sexy, easily enticed neighbor?"

Rosalie winked.

"Speaking of empty on-call rooms and her hot, strong, sexy, hunky, –"

Bella and Alice, knowing Rose far too well by now, put up their hands simultaneously.

"Don't want to know!"

Rosalie laughed, throwing her head back and flopping into a chair next to Alice.

"Alright, alright, I'll spare you the details. But just so you know, that man has an _extremely _talented –"

"_Rose!_"

"Sorry." She smirked, and surveyed Bella. "So, what's the plan now? Hire some thugs and give that asswipe a taste of his own medicine?"

"No!" gasped Bella, her face contorting. "I'm not stooping to his level, Rose. I can't. It's not me."

Alice nodded in agreement.

"No-one's beating anyone else up anymore, Rose. Bella's going to come live with us for a while, at least until she's figured things out."

Rosalie shrugged.

"Works for me. But if I happen to pass that guy on the street, I'm not responsible for my actions."

"_Ro-ose_," Bella whined, but Rosalie cut her off.

"Quit it, whiney. You're stuck with me for a while, so you'd better learn to suck it up!"

"Rosalie!" reprimanded Alice.

"Aw, calm down, Al. She's got _some _backbone hiding in there. I'm just dragging it out for her."

Alice huffed, but Bella put her hand on Rosalie's gently.

"Thanks, Rose," she whispered, the morphine dripping slowly into her bloodstream via the IV in her hand starting to make her drowsy. "I know you're just looking out for me in your own special way. I 'preciate it… I think."

"You'd better, Bells," chortled Rosalie as she squeezed Bella's hand back.

* * *

><p>Reviews make EDWARD appear faster! (yep, I hear you guys! :P )<p>

Also, remember I mentioned a couple chapters ago that there would be time jumps of varying lengths in this story? Well for the next while, about a week goes by between each chapter (as in, chapter 5 begins about a week after this chapter ends). I'll let you know when that changes! :)


	5. Chapter 5

So... how'd you all go waiting a whole week for this one...? :P

Once again, thankyouthankyouthankyou to my beta Robyn who spent the entire summer nagging me to finally let her read all of this. :P

Enjoy! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"I mean it this time, Bella." Dr Whitlock's tone was light-hearted as he re-bandaged her newly stitch-free head, but his eyes showed his seriousness. "The next time I see you in this hospital, you'd better be either volunteering or giving birth!"

Bella's eyes widened, but she laughed somewhat meekly, trying to filter out Alice's involuntary high-pitched giggle.

She eased herself carefully off the table, the swelling around her knee and shoulder almost gone though both were still a little painful, and the three of them headed for the door.

As if on the spur of the moment, Dr Whitlock spun around and grabbed a small white card from a ledge on the wall, thrusting it in Bella's direction as she flinched slightly.

"Bella, I almost forgot – a good friend of mine has recently moved to town, and is starting up self-defense classes in the high school on Wednesday evenings. I really think it's something you might benefit from, once you're feeling up to it."

Bella bit her lip nervously

"Um... I don't know. I'm not really into violence or the whole "martial arts" thing..."

"Self defense isn't about violence, Bella. It's about protecting yourself and making yourself feel safe."

Alice bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically.

"Come on, Bella, you'd be great at it! You're so agile!"

Bella still looked unsure.

"Why don't you just take his card, and you can think about it when you feel ready," suggested Dr Whitlock, his kind eyes imploring her to reconsider. Before she could move, Alice snatched the card out of his hand.

"Thank you, Dr Whitlock," she said brightly, beaming up at him. "I'll make sure she thinks about it!"

Dr Whitlock laughed and looked down at Bella's loveable little pixie of a best friend, scratching the back of his head casually.

"I think we know each other well enough by now that you can call me Jasper. Enough of this 'Dr Whitlock' nonsense."

Alice batted her eyes at him endearingly.

"Well then, Jasper, I guess we... _won't _be seeing you around..." Her smile faltered a little at this realization, and Bella almost felt she should be offering to take up a new career as a terminal klutz, just so Alice had an excuse to spend more time with 'Jasper'. "Unless you ever feel like redesigning the hospital! You know, I could come up with the perfect color scheme to really bring out the..."

Jasper laughed out loud, drowning out her rambling, a twinkle in his eye that Bella didn't remember noticing before.

"I'll certainly keep it in mind, Miss Brandon."

Alice raised an eyebrow and looked at him pointedly.

"Goodbye, then, _Dr Whitlock_."

Jasper rolled his eyes, and Bella wondered if they would notice if she suddenly disappeared.

"Goodbye, _Alice_." He glanced around and blinked, as if suddenly remembering Bella's presence. "Goodbye, Bella. Please do have a think about those self defense classes."

Bella scowled, and was about to protest again when Alice stamped not-so-subtly on her foot, causing her to yelp lightly in pain.

"Um, I'll think about it, Dr, er, Jasper. See you again soon." She half-dragged Alice down the corridor and into the parking lot, while her friend tried to pretend she wasn't shooting furtive glances back in the direction of Jasper's office every few seconds.

**~o0o~**

Walking up the stairs to Alice and Rosalie's apartment on the other side of town, Bella was distant. She had taken a formal two-week leave from her job, adamant that the fortnight would be enough to recover from both the physical and emotional trauma, and was half way through it, but she was finding the lack of distraction and routine almost unbearable. She had too much time to think.

She hadn't heard from Felix since the incident – to her relief – and had only been back to their apartment once to pick up her things when she knew he wouldn't be there, accompanied by Alice. Alice's flexible work schedule meant she was able to spend a lot more time than Rosalie helping her friend 'recuperate', which in Alice terms meant hours of retail therapy punctuated by occasional coffee breaks when Bella claimed she was feeling weak. The busy but mentally unstimulating days were followed by overly cheerful "girls' nights in", where Rose and Alice tried their best to distract her. But in truth, Bella just wanted to get on with her life and forget about Felix and the past. As much as she loved her friends she hated imposing on them, and despite her injuries she insisted on sleeping on the couch instead of the beds they willingly offered up, claiming that she was used to it but in reality hating that they were putting themselves out to take care of her. She _was_ surprised, however, that she and Rose hadn't had anything other than minor squabbles – she had been dreading a reoccurrence of their college years, where they had shared a dorm and nearly killed each other on a daily basis – but she supposed she had Emmett to thank for that as well. Throughout Rose's dating history, Bella had rarely seen her spend more than a few days – a week or two, at best – with the same guy. But with Emmett, it was different. It was like she was a whole other person. She talked about him constantly, and was with him every chance she could get, – and so far, she showed no signs of getting bored. Despite her speckled past, Bella wondered if Rose could finally be beginning to settle down into a long term relationship.

As they walked through the narrow doorway into the small apartment, Alice sighed heavily. She let her purse skid across the table, and tapped Bella on the head with the small white card before pointedly slamming it into the door of the fridge, holding it in place with an ironic oversized smiley-face magnet. She collapsed onto the couch, and scowled.

Bella raised an eyebrow in annoyance, slumping down next to Alice.

"What are you so grumpy about? You got a nice long chat with your _darling_ _Jasper _today, right? Or is there trouble in hurry-up-and-get-to-Paradise-already?"

Alice brightened up and took a deep breath, about to launch into a long spiel analysing Jasper's every eye-twitch and head turn, before suddenly snapping her mouth closed and glaring.

"Aw, hell no, Bella, you're not distracting me like this again. This is about _you_."

Bella pouted.

"What, because I wouldn't do everything your knight in a shiny lab coat suggested? I do actually have my own opinions, you know."

Alice turned around on the couch to face Bella properly, tucking her legs up underneath her and looking her in the eye.

"Bella, you've been moping around the place ever since you got out of hospital. No matter how hard Rose or I try, sometimes it feels like we're talking to a brick wall." She took Bella's hand gently and her voice softened. "I know it's hard. I know what you've been through isn't something you can just get over over night. But Bells, you need to try and get on with your life. If you don't do these self defense classes, then do something else. Take cooking classes, join a book club, do _something _other than sit around and dwell on everything that's happened. I know you want to go back to work as soon as you can, but you need to have some sort of social input in your life besides just me and Rose. Go out, meet new people." She squeezed Bella's hand encouragingly. "Felix isn't controlling your life anymore!"

Bella was stunned. She had thought it was Alice and Rose's false cheerfulness and acting like everything was ok that had been holding her back from finding the immediate closure she expected and fully recovering from the ordeals Felix had put her through. She always used to think of herself as a strong person, ready to bounce back from anything and dive right into something new. She hadn't understood quite how much Felix had changed her entire being; that it was he who was to blame for her automatic nervousness and pre-programmed withdrawal on encountering new people and situations, which she was now beginning to realize had been slowly building since their first few months of friendship. He had always wanted her all to himself, never happy to share her with friends even when he seemed to ignore her presence. She bit her lip, feeling her eyes become watery.

"I'm sorry, Al. I don't mean to be such a burden on you and Rose. I don't really know what's going on with me right now. He messed me up so much..." Tears trickled quickly down her face as she reached out blindly to her friend.

"Shh, Bells, it's ok," soothed Alice. "You're not a burden on us, and you can stay here as long as you need to. None of this is your fault.

Bella sniffed.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I've been so emotional lately."

"That's hardly surprising, given what you've been through," murmured Alice, finding a tissue from somewhere and dabbing at Bella's eyes. Bella noticed their reflections in the TV, and suddenly let out a silly giggle.

"I'm so pathetic," she sighed, smiling, a hint of sadness still in her eyes.

"No you're not," smiled Alice gently. "You're a strong woman who's just been stepped on one too many times."

Bella nodded at her gratefully.

"Thanks Al. I know you're just saying that to make me feel better, but thanks." Alice opened her mouth to protest, but Bella shook her head. "I know I have to get back on my feet, though. Maybe I will have a think about classes after all."

Alice smiled satisfactorily and sank back into the couch, hitting the remote and flicking on her favorite trashy daytime TV show.

**~o0o~**

A while later, Bella was woken from an afternoon doze on the couch by the shrill ringing of the telephone. Bolting upright too quickly, she felt dizzy for a minute, and then, realizing Alice was in the shower, fumbled around half blindly for the cordless phone.

"Hello?" she croaked, coughing to clear her throat.

"Bella?" asked the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yes," she answered warily, "who's this?"

"It's me, babe," replied the deep, masculine voice. A shiver of fear ran up Bella's spine as she sucked in a breath and she swallowed thickly. She gripped the phone tightly, fighting to keep her composure.

"Why are you calling here?"

"I've missed you, baby," he crooned, the falseness Bella could finally sense in his voice sickening. "I figured you might be staying there with your little friends."

Bella tried to focus on her breathing and slow her quickly beating heart, reminding herself that Felix was on the other end of the phone line and couldn't actually touch her. She couldn't let him see how he was affecting her.

"Leave Alice and Rosalie out of this."

Felix, undeterred, changed tack.

"When are you coming home, babe? You've been imposing on them far too long already, you belong back here with me."

Bella took a deep breath in through her nostrils and let it out slowly, steeling herself and refusing to let his accusations resonate. She knew she had to hold her own in this conversation.

"You're not home to me, Felix. I'm not going back there."

"Aw, come on, Bells," he whined, the sound making Bella shiver again, but this time in disgust. "Don't let them tell you how to feel. _You _know you're better off with me."

Bella gritted her teeth, a fuse suddenly bursting inside her.

"Stop it!" She jumped to her feet, seething with anger. "Stop telling me what to do! Stop trying to dictate my life, thinking you can get away with anything you want! I never want to see you again, and don't you _dare _ring this number ever again!" She paused, breathing heavily as her heart thudded, listening to the silence on the other end of the line. Suddenly, Felix slammed the phone down, and the pure sound of the dial tone rang in Bella's ears. She stared across the room at the smiley face fridge magnet and the small, white card pinned underneath it, as she heard Alice opening the door of the now steaming bathroom and sticking her towel-wrapped head out, wondering what all the shouting was about. Perhaps a fun, social, energetic venture with new people who didn't know her history really was what she needed now. And as for Felix... She swore to herself that from now on, it would be as if he never existed.

* * *

><p>:O<p>

But is Felix going to *stay* away...?

If you're following me on Twitter (iSparkleToo), throw an reply my way and if there's a lot of you there, maybe there'll be some Learning to Live chapter 6 sneek peeks during the week before it goes live on Sunday...! ;)

Speaking of chapter 6... Not to get you all over-excited, but we *may* be getting our first sight of a _certain someone_ in a week's time...! ;)


	6. Chapter 6

I could bore you with some long introductory spiel, like thanking my beta Robyn effusively for helping me make this chapter better, but I know there's only one thing you guys are waiting for.

So know, without further ado, I present to you...

**_EDWARD!_** :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Bella stood in the parking lot of the high school nervously, twisting the small white card in her fingers. She had finally gone back to work a few days ago, and though it was great to be back in a familiar, structured environment, she couldn't help but feel that her colleagues were whispering behind her back and giving her sympathetic looks, having heard through the grapevine everything that had happened. Hopefully, here, she could make some new friends, who wouldn't judge her on the person Felix had turned her into, but on the real Bella she was trying so desperately hard to find again.

She took a deep breath and started walking towards the building, but after a few steps she faltered and stopped. She looked down at the now mangled card again, and ran a hand through her hair. New people. Lots of new people. She never used to be shy. She berated herself for allowing Felix to change her so much in just a few short years.

With renewed motivation, Bella began again to take tentative steps in the direction of the building. She glanced at her watch. She was already one minute late. Praying this friend of Jasper Whitlock's guy wouldn't be a stickler for punctuality, she quickened her pace as she went through the door of the school and along the empty corridor. Reaching the gym, she peeked through the open door and saw around twenty people – all women – already paired off and standing loosely in three lines, facing a tall, athletic looking man with reddish brown hair who currently had his back to Bella. She stopped, nervous again, keeping herself out of sight behind the door. They were all already paired off. They were about to start, and she would make the numbers uneven and disrupt the whole class. She knew she shouldn't have come. This was a complete waste of time.

She was turning around, ready to leave again in defeat, when she heard someone jogging towards her, and a voice calling her back.

"Hey!"

She cringed, realizing she had been seen and that there was probably no way she'd be able to back out now, and turned reluctantly back to who she presumed was the teacher, her mind quickly trying to formulate some explanation that would not only excuse her lateness and creep-like behaviour, but also possibly enable her to leave right now and never return, like the chicken she was.

But the sight of the person standing in front of her made her mouth go dry and her mind turn to mush. From his casually tousled hair, to his sharp jaw line with just a hint of stubble, to the pure muscle she just knew was hiding under the loose hoodie he was wearing, this man was the epitome of male perfection.

"You must be Bella Swan, right? Jasper told me you'd be coming. I'm Edward Cullen. I'll be your self defense instructor."

She blinked dumbly at the hand he extended towards her, before finally snapping out of her reverie. She stretched her own out, feeling his warm, strong grasp as he pumped it up and down, and had to actively stop herself keeping hold of his hand when he began to pull away. She looked up at him, nervously biting her lip.

"Hi," she mumbled, a wave of shyness suddenly washing over her.

He gave her a crooked smile that made her insides melt into a pool that ended up somewhere near her feet, and turned back to the rest of the class, who were all waiting expectantly.

"Ok, ladies," he began, quickly surveying the room. "Looks like everybody's neatly paired up already, so Bella, you can partner with me for today. I'll need someone to help with the demonstrations anyway."

Bella's eyes widened and she looked at Edward nervously. Stand up in front of a room full of strangers, probably making a fool of herself? Edward looked at her terrified expression, and laughed.

"Don't worry," he said, the crooked smile making a reappearance. "It's pretty easy. I promise you won't get hurt."

Looking into his mesmerizing green eyes, Bella found herself strangely unable to refuse this dazzling man, and sighed in defeat. At least she was relatively agile.

"Right," he said, facing the class again and putting on a businesslike face. "First things first – the warm up. Before you undertake any physical activity, you need to stretch out your muscles properly to make sure you don't injure yourself. We can start by jogging on the spot for thirty seconds."

The group started jogging sluggishly, and Bella reluctantly joined them, her face burning as she stood in front of them on her own, but feeling some relief in the fact that Edward was also jogging next to her.

"Ok," he said when the thirty seconds were up. "Next, we need to stretch out our calf muscles. You need your partner for this."

He turned towards Bella, and stretched out his arms in front of him. Her heart started to beat erratically as she realized he was going to touch her, a flush beginning to creep up her face just as her previous embarrassment had finally died down. She couldn't understand what was going on; these feelings strangely foreign to her after so long being ignored by – and avoiding others because of – Felix. Edward's voice continued to carry across the room.

"Put your hands on your partner's shoulders like this. Then lean forward, stretching one leg out behind you and pushing against each others' weight until you feel the stretch in your lower leg." He placed his hands on Bella's shoulders carefully and took a small step backwards with one leg, looking at her expectantly. Her breath hitched as his strong fingers curled delicately over the tops of her shoulders, giving her goosebumps, and as if on automatic pilot, she felt her own arms rise up and stretched to reach her hands to his shoulders. She placed them there lightly, almost afraid to touch him, and immediately felt the warmth of his body radiating through his clothes. She involuntarily clenched her fingers, nails digging into him, and then stopped, suddenly remembering he could feel her. He seemed not to notice. Making sure the rest of the group were following his lead, he gently began to push against Bella, nodding at her to do the same, as he flattened the heel of his outstretched leg into the floor, straightening his knee. Bella followed suit, and felt the stretch on her muscle biting its way painfully up her leg. After a few seconds, Edward straightened up a little, swapping his legs around.

"Ok, now switch legs."

He winked at Bella as she changed legs, causing her to blush again despite her best efforts of self control.

"See, Bella," he said, his voice low as they pushed against each other again. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

As he spoke she winced, and bent her knee a little to counteract the fierce stretch on her out of practice muscle. He laughed quietly at his ironic timing, and she surprised herself by smiling back ruefully.

"It's been a while since I've found the time to work out much. My job gets kind of busy sometimes."

He nodded, smirking.

"Sure. Like I haven't heard that one before."

She scowled, and he laughed loudly as they straightened back up again.

**~o0o~**

Bella watched as Edward showed them the rest of the warm up exercises, thankfully none of which involved a partner and so allowed her to join the rest of the group and not feel so conspicuous, and did her best to copy him without getting distracted. He then went on to show them the basics of some of the easier moves they were going to learn. Soon, he had them venomously punching and kicking the air, shouting ridiculous non-words at the top of their voices which, he assured them with a straight face, gave their physical movement a surprising amount more force than they would have were they not making a sound. All too soon, it was time for them to partner up again. He beckoned Bella forward, pulling his sweatshirt over his head as he did so, and for the second time that evening Bella found herself staring dumbly at Edward Cullen. He wore a plain white t-shirt which rode up slightly when he raised his arms over his head to expose a flash of lightly tanned skin and abs that looked like they could grate cheese. She swallowed thickly. Throwing his sweatshirt over by the bleachers, he put his hands on Bella's shoulders, directing her to stand facing the class with her back to him.

"Ok," said Edward, speaking to the class. "Partner A, please stand facing forward like Bella. Partner B, you're the bad guys. You need to stand behind your partners, as if you're creeping up on them in a dark, secluded alleyway, and reach one arm over their shoulder, stretching across their chest and grabbing hold of their opposite upper arm." He suddenly stepped in close to Bella, pressing his chest against her back and swinging his right arm across her front, holding her tightly, but not painfully. She fought to keep her face neutral as she felt the rippling muscles hidden by his t-shirt pushing into her back, and resisted the urge inhale deeply as his large bicep tightened across her chest.

"Partner A," Edward began again, the vibrations in his chest sending shivers down Bella's spine, "you now need to escape from partner B. First, you'll do an elbow jab with your right arm, as high up into their chest as you can, almost into their armpit if you're able, then spin around to the right, and slam the palm of your left hand upwards into their chin. Go." Edward squeezed Bella's arm encouragingly, and she nervously tried to move her elbow up, tipping him with it lightly gently before turning around awkwardly and mashing her hand into his face, missing his chin and instead hitting somewhere between his cheek and his ear. She blushed bright red and stepped back from him quickly, withdrawing her arm and trying not to think about how the rough stubble on his cheek had felt against her hand. Edward surveyed the group, most of whom seemed to be in a similar predicament to Bella, and sighed, shaking his head.

"Ladies, that was pathetic," he laughed. "Let's go again. This time, put some emotion into it. Imagine you're out walking alone at night, and some creep of a guy has just grabbed onto you. There's no-one around to hear you cry for help, and you can only imagine what this guy is planning to do to you." He walked up behind Bella again slowly, and grabbed her suddenly in the same way as before, making her jump. "He's stronger than you," he continued, "and you're terrified. You think there's no way you can escape." He had lowered his head, and Bella could now feel his breath lightly on her neck. Suddenly her mind inadvertently flashed back to the last night she had been with Felix. He had been holding her tightly, too tightly. She hadn't been able to move, and she knew, in the back of her mind, she hadn't been sure what he was going to do. She began trembling lightly. "Suddenly," said Edward's low voice, right in her ear now, "you remember your first self defense class." As Edward's grip on her tightened, something snapped inside of Bella. Filled with fury for the pain Felix had caused her, her elbow sprung back strongly, hitting Edward squarely in the chest and causing him to let out a small grunt. Quickly and easily this time, she spun around, raising her arm and feeling her palm connect perfectly with the bottom of his chin, before a large hand grabbed her wrist tightly, stopping her from doing any actual damage.

"Huh," said Edward thoughtfully, once more flashing her that irresistible smile and looking mildly impressed as he let her hand drop. "Girl's got some fight in her after all." He laughed out loud as Bella stood there, breathing hard after her emotion-filled outburst, and spoke to the rest of the group. "Now _that's _what I want to see. Try it one more time, and then we'll finish up for tonight."

**~o0o~**

Bella sat on the bleachers, head in her hands, trying to collect herself, as Edward worked his way through the group, watching everybody and giving hints here and there.

"Ok everyone, I think that's about enough for one evening," he said, his voice ringing out across the gym. The other women began to pack up bags and put on coats, heading out into the chilly evening, but Bella stayed where she was, wanting to wait until the parking lot would be empty so she wouldn't have to make small talk. Edward made his way slowly over to her, picking up his hoodie off the ground on the way.

"Hey, Bella, you were really good back there. Did you enjoy the class?"

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but still her voice wavered a little as she answered him.

"Um, yeah, it was good. You're a good teacher."

He quirked his eyebrow, and sat down beside her.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, "just a little tired, that's all." She began to stand up, knowing she needed to be somewhere alone in case the whirling emotions inside her managed to burst out. "I should get going."

"Oh come on," he scoffed, "it's six in the evening. You're not tired. What's up?"

She looked at him, the handsome man she had met only an hour ago, who had spent a substantial part of that hour in abnormally close proximity to her, and was surprised to see genuine concern on his face. Without realizing what was happening she found herself suddenly bursting into tears, collapsing back down onto the bleacher next to him. Edward's eyes widened in surprise, and he reflexively pulled back just fraction.

"Woah, Bella, are you alright?"

She sniffed loudly, and tried to regain control of her shaky breathing, wiping at her eyes futilely as more tears kept coming.

"I'm sorry," she hiccupped, her voice cracking, "I don't know what's come over me. I promise, I'm fine."

Edward shook his head slowly.

"Bella, you can talk to me. Anything you say won't go outside this room."

She dropped her head into her hands again, her breath still coming in gasps, but the tears slowing.

"It's just... something you said... reminded me of... something that happened to me."

She sat up again, looking at him pathetically, waiting for him to call her a freak and run off as fast as he could. Instead, he raised his hand gently, cautiously, and lightly touched the not-quite-healed cut on her temple. She flinched, and he drew his hand away quickly, but held her gaze.

"Someone did this to you," he said softly. It was more a statement than a question, but Bella still felt the need to justify it with a reply.

"My... ex," she said quietly, closing her eyes. "I ended up in hospital. Then Dr Whitlock, um, I mean, Jasper, gave me your card. He said this could be good for me." She didn't know why she was opening up like this to a complete stranger, but somehow, this felt ok.

Edward smiled sadly.

"Jasper's a good guy. I'm staying with him for a while, until I get myself sorted out. He's right, though. This is the kind of thing that could really help you get your confidence back."

Bella looked at him, amazed that he was even still standing there, let alone that he was suggesting she should come back again. She chewed her lip, and wiped her now red eyes.

"Uh, I'm not so sure you want me back here again next week after... this..."

He laughed once.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I look forward to seeing you next week, Bella, really." He glanced towards the door, where the jingle of the janitor's keys could be heard coming down the hall, ready to lock up. He stood up, and stretched his hand out to her, pulling her up too. She was reluctant to let go of the warm safety of his hand, but she did, bending down to pick up her water bottle from the floor. They walked out to the parking lot together in amicable silence.

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" Edward stopped next to a shiny, silver Volvo and started fishing in his bag for the keys.

"No, my car's just over there," said Bella, motioning vaguely to the other side of the lot, not wanting to single out her old, battered car after seeing his impressive vehicle. She sniffed one last time, turning to walk in that direction, as he opened his door and began to sit in.

"Hey, Bella?" She stopped, and turned back around, seeing him leaning out of the car door, one foot in, one foot still on the tarmac. "See you next week." He winked at her, and sat fully into the car.

"Goodbye, Edward," she called back, finding herself smiling too, somehow unable to feel sad for too long in this new friend's presence.

* * *

><p>So...<p>

What do you guys think of Edward?

;D


	7. Chapter 7

Now that Edward's _finally_ here, I promise we'll be seeing plenty of him... ;)

Once again, thanks hugely to my always-eager beta Robyn. :D When she finally gets around to writing her own novel, I promise I will direct you guys to it as soon as she decides to let people see it. :P

Enjoy chapter 7! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"Well, it sounds like you had a _fun _first class...!"

Bella hung her head in shame over her box of noodles, giggling despite herself. She was sitting on the couch with Rosalie, while Alice joined them on the floor, and had just relayed to them the events of earlier in the evening.

"I can't believe he didn't even run when you cried, though," Rosalie continued. Bella blanched, and Alice rolled her eyes and threw a plastic fork and Rose. "I just mean, most guys can't handle tears, you know?" said Rosalie quickly, throwing an annoyed look at Alice as she carefully untangled the fork from her long blonde hair. "You've definitely found a keeper there, Bells."

Bella blushed.

"Rose!"

"What?" she said innocently. "It's not as if you exactly found him repulsive, you said so yourself!"

"He's my instructor," mumbled Bella, "and besides, he's not going to be interested in me. He saw me _crying_, for God's sake!"

Rosalie snorted.

"Yeah, and he _stayed_." She looked at her noodles thoughtfully. "And he drives an awesome car."

Alice patted Bella's arm sympathetically.

"Don't worry, Bella, nobody's making you rush into anything."

Bella sighed and leant back into the couch, swinging her feet up onto coffee table, and removing them again at Alice's whimper of disapproval.

"Anyone would think you guys were trying to get rid of me," she joked, tossing her empty noodle box into the trashcan.

"Bella!" chorused two annoyed voices. They had been putting up with her worrying that she was overstaying her welcome from the moment she had stepped in the door, and she wasn't getting any more reassured.

"Guys, come on." Bella herself was sick of them ignoring her worries. "This apartment is only made for two. And you know how I like my own space. I have some money saved up, and I have what I inherited from my parents after the crash... I'm going to start looking around for my own place to rent."

"Bella," whined Alice. Bella's parents had been killed in a car crash a few years ago while Bella was in college, and although Bella always assured everyone she had dealt with it, Alice was pretty sure it wasn't a good topic to bring up on top of everything Bella had been going through lately.

"Give it a rest, Al," said Bella, knowing where Alice was headed and determined to change the subject. "I just want to be independent again, you know?"

Rosalie laughed sardonically.

"Be that as it may, Bella, good luck finding an apartment these days!" Bella reached behind her thoughtfully and pulled out a cushion, throwing it at Rosalie and luckily missing Alice's newest glass vase that stood on the coffee table.

"Bella!" squeaked Alice. "Be careful!"

"Aw, you worry too much, Alice," said Bella, laughing as Rosalie thumped the cushion to the ground, stood up, and stalked into the kitchen to finish her dinner without having things thrown at her every five minutes.

"I'll 'worry' you 'too much', alright," muttered Alice, reaching over to carefully place the cushion back where it belonged, fluffing it expertly. Bella laughed again. Slowly, she was beginning to feel so much happier that she had in quite a long time.

**~o0o~**

It wasn't just Alice and Rosalie who began to notice a change in Bella's temperament. Her colleagues at work mentioned in the staff room one morning how cheerful she'd been lately. She smiled at them mildly and said nothing, but in truth, she wasn't quite sure what to accredit for her sudden happier nature. Was it that she had decided to move out from Rose and Alice's apartment, finally starting to gain back the independence she had always loved? Had it suddenly hit her that she never had to answer to Felix again, or be nervous of how he'd be feeling that particular day? She didn't know, but she wasn't complaining. She now sailed into the classroom each morning, fresh and bright, and it seemed even her students were surprised to see such a change in her.

"Why are you always so smiley now, Miss Swan?" asked Rachel, her innocent curiosity shining out from her deep brown eyes.

"Because I'm happy, Rachel. Have you finished using the glitter?"

"Nearly. But _why _are you happy?"

"Did you make a new friend?" asked Leah.

"Did someone give you a present?" asked Paul.

"Do you have a new boyfriend?" shouted Jared.

"Paul is Rachel's boyfriend!" giggled Leah.

"Shut _UP_, Leah!" screeched Rachel, launching herself across the table at Leah and sending the jar of purple glitter flying in the process, while Paul balled his fists and started breathing heavily. Bella quickly grabbed Rachel around the waist and seated her back down, biting back a smile. She looked at Paul pointedly and took a deep, exaggerated breath through her nose, wordlessly reminding him to use the anger management techniques his mom had been teaching him. Pleased with the quick return to order of the classroom, she bent down and reached for the empty glitter bottle, sweeping her hand across the table and scooping the spilled glitter back into it.

"I don't know why I'm happy today, Rachel. Sometimes, happy feelings just come out of nowhere, don't they?"

**~o0o~**

Walking up the stairs to Alice and Rosalie's apartment after work a few days later, Bella heard a muted commotion coming from above her. Reaching her floor, Bella was surprised to see a small group of people hanging around outside the open door of one of the three other apartments. Trying to peek into the room inconspicuously, her eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be a pair of paramedics talking somberly in low voices to a man in his early forties. She slipped quietly into Rose and Alice's apartment, closing the door behind her. She jumped, realizing Rose was much closer to the door than would have been normal for someone pretending they weren't spying on their neighbors through the peephole.

"What's going on?" she said quietly, gesturing to the other side of the door.

"Old guy who lives there was found dead by his son earlier this afternoon," Rosalie replied. "Passed away in his sleep, I think."

Bella bit her lip.

"Did you guys know him?"

"Not really. I've seen him around once or twice, but he usually kept to himself."

"Hmm." Bella tried to feel sorry for the old man, who, judging by the group congregating outside his apartment, was well-known and loved by people predominately of his own age group, but she had never met him, and so couldn't find it in herself to get hung up about it. "Where's Alice?"

"She had a late meeting with one of her clients. Something about a carpet not matching the wallpaper..."

Bella grunted in acknowledgement, and made her way into the kitchen. Tuesdays were her day to cook.

"D'you think she'll want dinner?"

Rosalie stuck her head into the kitchen, and looked at Bella. Bella laughed.

"Ok. Right. It's Alice. She'll want seconds."

"Don't forget to put on extra for Emmett, too."

Bella rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"How could I _possibly _forget that _darling _Emmett is coming over for dinner this evening, Rose?" She smirked, as Rosalie threw her a dirty look before leaving the room. Despite her initial embarrassment at coming face to face again and again with the no-longer-stranger who had saved her life, Bella had soon become used to seeing him around the house with Rose at every chance they got. At the rate they were going, they would probably be married with kids by Christmas.

She began to throw together ingredients for a simple pasta dish, one of Alice's favorites, when she heard Rosalie returning again from the other room.

"Hey, Bells," she mumbled, her mouth full of hairpins and a giant claw clip in one hand, "can I try this out on you? I just want to see if it looks good from the back..."

"Well, I'm kind of bus– oh, um, well, ok then," said Bella automatically, Rosalie having begun to take down her hair without waiting for an answer. Rose worked at the only hair and beauty salon in town, and Bella and Alice were well used by now to becoming her models without notice whenever the artistic muse struck.

Rosalie tutted as she pulled her fingers through Bella's wind-blown hair, and sighed at her plain, pale skin.

"You know what you need, Bella? You need a spa day. I have this great little place I go sometimes, Alice has been there too and she loves it."

Bella wrinkled her nose.

"I don't know, Rose. An entire day at a spa? It doesn't really sound like my cup of tea..."

"Trust me Bells, you'd love it. A whole day, devoted entirely to making you feel good. What's not to like?"

Bella laughed.

"That sound exactly like something you'd push for, Rose. Maybe in a few weeks, when I've gotten work and everything else back on schedule properly."

Rosalie stopped messing with Bella's hair and stepped back, surveying her work. She frowned, and pulled the huge clip back out again, retreating back to the couch and her sketch pad.

"I won't take no for an answer, Bella!"

**~o0o~**

Bella arrived early to her next self defense class, terrified of ending up paired with Edward again and knowing she couldn't bear to face him after her breakdown the previous week. Pushing her shyness aside, she immediately latched on to the first friendly-looking woman she saw.

"Hi, I'm Bella."

"Hi Bella, I'm Claire," said the young woman, smiling and accepting Bella's handshake with a small, delicate hand. "Do you want to partner with me today?"

"Thanks, that would be nice," said Bella, relieved. "I hated being up in front of everybody last week!"

"You did a lot better than I would have done," laughed Claire. "I fell over at least three times during the warm up! And if I was being manhandled by that delicious-looking _Edward_ at the same time... Well, let's just say it's a pity I'm not single!"

Bella's face warmed slightly at the memory of Edward's strong arms around her, but she laughed along with Claire. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Edward step in the door of the gym and pause, sweeping his gaze across the room as if he was looking for something. Ignoring the sudden increase in her heart rate, she turned back to Claire.

"Do you mind if we stay near the back this evening? It looks like we're an even number today, and I don't think I could handle being called up to do another demonstration after last week's pathetic attempt!"

"No problem, Bella," replied Claire, smiling. "I don't like the idea of fumbling around in front of everybody much either!"

As they took their place in the line at the back, Bella realized Edward was staring in their direction. She tried to resist the urge to look at him, but couldn't help allowing herself one fleeting glance. As their eyes locked, hers still reflecting a hint of fear and embarrassment, a strange expression flashed across his face, before it quickly returned to neutral. He cleared his throat, and the conversation in the room went quiet.

"Good evening, ladies. I see everybody's all paired up evenly today, that's good, although it's a pity Ms Mallory has decided she won't be continuing with the class. Anyway, let's begin with the warm up."

**~o0o~**

He talked them through the warm up exercises again, and Bella focused hard this time on working the kinks out of her muscles, deliberately not allowing herself to catch Edward's eye again, as they then went over the single moves they had learned the previous week. By the time Edward told them to try the partnered move, Bella's face was red from exertion. She allowed Claire to try the move first.

"Remember, attacking partners," called Edward from the front of the room, "you need to relax your grip as soon the other person begins to move, otherwise you could be seriously injured." He began to move slowly through the group of women, adjusting an arm here and a body position there, allowing the pairs in the back to practice a few times before he got to them. Finally, he reached Bella and Claire. "Ok, ladies, let's see how you're getting on."

Bella stretched her arm across Claire with little difficulty, and soon the other woman had swung around and was pushing her hand against Bella's chin gently.

"Not bad," said Edward in a strangely business-like way, cocking his head thoughtfully as he considered their attempt, "but Bella, you need to grip her arm a little tighter at the start, otherwise it's too easy. Here, try again and I'll show you." Bella put her arm across Claire again nervously, still refusing to meet Edward's burning gaze. She inhaled sharply as she felt his palm close over her hand, tightening it to Claire's arm until he deemed her grip secure enough. He kept his hand on top of hers for a few seconds, the warmth spreading up her fingertips and along her arm, and she could feel his eye like daggers piercing her forehead as she kept her gaze down, willing her to look at him. Finally she caved, and found herself captured by pools of intense, emerald green. The embarrassment from their last encounter rising in her cheeks, she cleared her throat, straightening up and adjusting the arm that was still restraining Claire. He removed his hand from hers quickly, but the look on his face was different now, almost triumphant, and his roguish, crooked smile had returned.

"Now give that a try, Claire."

With a little more difficulty this time, Claire extracted herself from Bella's grasp, and then it was time for the partners to switch. Edward stood opposite them, watching them intently, as Bella took her place in front of Claire this time. As Claire tightened her grip, Bella found herself looking at Edward again. Realizing he had caught her eye, he gave her a sly wink, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from reacting. It was as if he was trying to distract her, to deliberately make her mess up and give him an excuse to 'help' her some more. A little angry at his trickery, but still surprised that he had the bravery to come within shouting distance of her after her little outburst last week, she gritted her teeth and focused, determined not to let him mess with her mind, and gracefully twisted out of Claire's hold. Edward laughed at the look of concentration on her face as she turned back around.

"Well done, Bella. No criticisms." He turned and headed back up to the front of the class, leaving Bella shaking her head slightly and frowning, trying to make sense of his actions. Claire giggled, and leaned over to whisper in Bella's ear.

"Looks like _somebody__'__s _caught the eye of the delectable Edward...!" Bella blushed, and nudged Claire.

"Shut up," she giggled back, embarrassed.

"Oh, come on," whispered Claire, eyeing Edward, who had now reached the top of the class and was taking long swigs from a plastic water bottle, his head thrown back and his neck arched, his adam's apple bobbing each time he swallowed. "I bet he asks you out before these self defense classes are finished." She licked her lips and sighed. "If it wasn't for Seth..."

Bella giggled again half-heartedly, but bit her lip nervously. Edward couldn't be interested in her in that way. _Could_ he? Her mind flashed back to them sitting on the bleachers, her with red eyes, tears and God knows what else streaming down her face. Rose was right. Guys always ran at the first sign of tears. Edward must have been too disgusted to even move. Or else he was too much of a gentleman, and didn't want to hurt her feelings. Either way, there was no way he could ever feel anything for her after that display other than disgust or pity.

**~o0o~**

After showing them the basics of the next move they would be learning, Edward called it a night, and the group began to file slowly out of the gym.

"Hey, Bella, can I have a word?" Edward was standing by the bleachers, looking at her expectantly. Claire nudged Bella, and raised her eyebrows pointedly.

"I told you!" she mouthed, grinning, before striding swiftly out of the room, leaving Bella and Edward alone. Bella looked at Edward nervously.

"I'm kind of in a hurry..." she began.

"This won't take a minute," he said, smiling and patting the space on the bleacher beside him as he sat down, "I just wanted to see how you were getting on after our conversation last week."

Bella cringed. Of course Edward had to bring that up. She made her way over slowly and sat down next to him, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine. Really. You don't have to worry about me breaking down in the middle of the class or anything, I promise."

Edward rolled his eyes.

"Bella, I meant what I said last week. I'm glad to have you here, occasional breakdowns or not."

Bella started at him, confusion in her wrinkled brow, and huffed loudly.

"I don't get it! Why are you still talking to me? You should be running for the hills, not trying to make friends with the crazy lady who spontaneously bursts into hysterics over silly things!" Edward raised his eyebrows and waited, letting her get it all out. Pausing, she took one look at his expression and groaned, dropping her face into her hands. "I'm doing it again!"

Edward laughed, the sound echoing beautifully in the large empty room.

"Bella, look at me." She raised her head up slowly and looked at him dolefully. His shining eyes looked dazzlingly into hers, his wondrous crooked smile lighting up his face, and for a moment, she thought she might have forgotten how to breathe. "If you want me to ignore you for the rest of these lessons I will, just say the word. But to be honest, I'd much rather be your friend – if you think you could handle being friends with a guy who grew up with enough sisters that he doesn't spook at the first sign of emotion."

Bella searched his face for some sign of sarcasm, but through his joking exterior, she couldn't find anything other than raw sincerity. She bit her lip. She had been wrong with her judgment of men's ulterior motives in the past. Edward, sensing her hesitation, made one last attempt.

"Tell you what, just give it a trial run. If it doesn't work out, I promise I'll let you try out that move on me I mentioned this evening where you knee your attacker in the groin." He raised his eyes, looking oddly hopeful for a man who had just volunteered himself to be kicked in the nuts.

Seeing his expression, Bella couldn't help herself. She giggled, allowing her face to break out into a smile.

"Well, with an offer like that, how can I refuse?"

* * *

><p>Reviews make Edward "help" Bella even more... ;)<p>

Stay tuned, because _things _start happening soon...! Chapter 8 coming next Sunday! :D


	8. Chapter 8

Great response to the last chapter - it looks like Edward is making a hit with more than just Bella! ;P

This chap's a bit shorter than usual, but hopefully it will tide you over till next week. ;)

Enjoy! (Hint: there's more Edward :P )

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Bella heaved open the heavy door to Alice and Rose's apartment block, glad, however much she loved her job, that it was finally Friday. She glanced over at the notice board vaguely, searching, as always, for a new place to live; but knowing, as always, that there would be nothing new on offer. She was about to make her way upstairs dejectedly when a newer-looking mint green flyer caught her eye. Suddenly excited, she rummaged in her purse for a pen and scribbled the number quickly but carefully onto the back of her hand. A thousand times happier and nervously hopeful, she flew up the stairs to the apartment.

**~o0o~**

"Woah, what's got you so jittery?" laughed Alice, as Bella bounded over to the couch to join her friend, dropping her purse on the coffee table and taking a moment to enjoy the amazing smell coming from the kitchen where Rosalie was taking care of dinner, knowing her luck that all three of them were more-than-adequate cooks. She grinned at Alice, barely able to contain her excitement.

"I've found an apartment I want!"

Alice raised her eyebrows.

"Really? I didn't think you'd be able to find somewhere so quickly. I didn't even realize you'd been to see any places!"

"Oh, I don't need to visit this place to know I want it!" replied Bella, feeling more and more like Alice on a shopping trip as she bounced around in her seat. Alice frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Bella cut her off. "It's the apartment just down the hall, from the old man that passed away a few days ago! It looks like his family wants to get it on the market straight away, and I figure, I have all this inheritance money from mom and dad, and I don't see myself ever wanting to leave this town, so why not actually buy it? It's close to work, and to you guys, and I had a look around it with you when you were deciding to come live here before the old man moved in, and I loved it!" She paused, catching her breath.

Alice looked at her with a bemused expression on her face. Rosalie, who had come to investigate when she heard the unusual sound of Bella getting wildly excited about something, looked from Bella to Alice is utter confusion.

"Bells... wow," said Alice, words momentarily eluding her. "It's awesome to see you get so excited about this, but are you sure it's what you want? I'm sure you could find a nice place to rent that's nearby too... You haven't really looked around that much, you know?"

Bella shook her head.

"This is what I want, Alice. I know it's a big step, but I'm ready for a radical change in my life."

"Don't get too attached to it just yet, Bella," warned Rosalie, still looking slightly amazed by Bella's enthusiasm. "These processes take time, and you haven't even put in an offer yet. Someone else could give them a better price than you can afford, and then you'll be back to square one."

Bella grinned, her eyes still slightly wild.

"That's why I'm getting in first." She grabbed the cordless phone as Rosalie shook her head, smiled, and went back into the kitchen, carefully punching in the numbers from the back of her hand. She put the phone to her ear, waited a few rings, and then frowned in disappointment. "They're closed for the weekend," she grumbled, pressing the 'end call' button rather venomously. "I'll have to wait until Monday."

Alice laughed weakly at her friend; her face, although happy for Bella's cheerfulness, still betraying her slight wonder and confusion at the sudden turn of events.

**~o0o~**

Bella was getting out of her car in the parking lot of the high school, once again early for her self defense class, when suddenly, a high-pitched trilling sound rang through the air. Diving back into the car, she grabbed her cell phone, pressing it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Is this Isabella Swan?"

"Yes..." Bella's voice was curious.

"This is Elizabeth from Masen's Realtors. I'm just calling to let you know that the offer you made on apartment 3C, Oakwood, has been accepted."

Bella's mouth dropped open, and she was momentarily speechless.

"A... Already? But I only made the offer two days ago! The apartment only went on sale last week!"

"Yes," said Elizabeth, the hint of a smile audible in her kindly voice, "but the client was insistent upon selling to the first bidder who came in any way near to the asking price, and wants to have the proceedings over and done with as soon as possible. So, if you come by the office tomorrow, you can sign the relevant documents and collect the keys to your new home."

Bella was stunned. She quickly finished the call, thanking Elizabeth profusely, and found herself sitting in her open car, staring straight ahead, unsure what to do next. A sudden tap on her windscreen made her jump.

"Hi Bella," said Edward, flashing her his trademark, irresistible smile. "What are you doing sitting out here all on your own?" She looked at him, then turned to look out the windscreen, a dazed expression on her face.

"I just... bought an apartment..." she said slowly, wonder coloring her voice. Edward's eyes widened.

"Well that's... big," he chuckled, slightly surprised. Her head snapped back to look at him, and her expression changed, as if the realization was suddenly dawning on her.

"I just bought an apartment..." she said, a smile beginning to break out on her face. "I just bought an apartment!" She jumped out of her car, nearly bowling Edward over in the process, a huge grin on her face as she jumped up and down and clapped her hands in excitement. "I just bought a freaking apartment!" Edward laughed, happy to see Bella let go in his presence after her inhibition last week.

"I guess you did! Congratulations!"

She grinned at him meekly, stopping her jumping and reaching round to take her keys from the car, before closing it.

"Sorry. It's just exciting, you know? The first big thing I've ever owned, besides this hunk o' junk excuse for a car, and it's an entire apartment!"

"Don't worry, Bella, I get it. Now if you could just lend me some of your apartment-finding luck, that would be great!" Edward laughed.

Bella cocked her head.

"You're still staying with Jasper then?"

"No, I managed to find my own place to rent for a while, but it's pretty small and run down, plus it's right on the outskirts of town, which isn't that handy. But I'm sure I'll find somewhere better soon."

Bella smiled, and then lowered her head and broke into little giggles again.

"I've got an apartment, I've got an apartment!" she mumbled quietly in a singsong voice, then looked up at Edward and giggled again. "Sorry for rubbing it in." Edward rolled his eyes and laughed at her expression, which was anything but sorry, as they turned and headed into the school together.

**~o0o~**

After doing the warm up and practicing some of the new, more difficult solo moves they had learned the previous week, Edward then began to teach the group a more complex, partnered man oeuvre. Bella was just twisting her way roughly out of Claire's much-more-awkward-than-before grasp, when suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over her and she stumbled, swaying ominously until Claire quickly grabbed her under the armpits just as her legs turned to jelly, and lowered her carefully to the ground.

"Woah, Bella, are you ok?" she asked, frightened. Before Claire could even look around for assistance, Edward had sprinted over to them and was kneeling at Bella's side.

"What happened?" he asked urgently, picking up Bella's wrist and feeling for the pulse that was quickly returning to normal. She blinked away the black spots that clouded her vision and tried to sit up, but a strong hand on her shoulder immediately pushed her back to a lying position.

"I don't know what that was," she said, taking a deep breath as the dizziness left as quickly as it had arrived. "I just felt dizzy for a minute, but I'm fine now." Edward didn't look convinced, but allowed her to sit up anyway. She cringed at the sight of the rest of the group, who had stopped what they were doing to see what was going on, and made her way shakily to her feet, despite Edward and Claire's protestations. She shook her head gently to clear it. "I probably just need a drink of water." She walked slowly over to the bleachers where her water was, smiling reassuringly at Claire's concerned expression and trying to ignore Edward's flitting hands hovering behind her back in case she fell again, and sat down, reaching for her water bottle and drinking deeply.

"Maybe you should stay sitting here for a while," said Edward, concern coloring his voice. "You're still really pale." He probably just didn't want to get in trouble for someone having a 'medical incident' during his lesson, thought Bella snarkily, before remembering that according to him, he _did _care. She considered his offer, and realized she did still feel oddly weak.

"Maybe that's a good idea," she mumbled, dreading a return of the dizzy spell. He looked relieved, and nodded at her, turning back to the rest of the group.

"Ok, everybody, keep practicing and I'll come around to you all individually."

**~o0o~**

By the end of the lesson, Bella was feeling much better. She had no idea what had happened, or why, and that worried her a bit. Perhaps she should go and see Dr Whitlock... But she didn't want to make a silly fuss over what was probably nothing more than a little dehydration. Plus, she didn't think she could deal with Alice tagging along and the two of them drooling over each other while pretending to be oblivious and to be concerned about Bella. She smiled a little at the memory of some of their previous encounters, and wondered how long it was going to take before Alice found an excuse to bump into Jasper again. She was impressed she had managed to hold out this long. She left the gym with the others and, after assuring Claire that yes, she really was fine, and promising Edward that she would lie down as soon as she got home and take it easy this evening, she got into her car and made her way back to what might be her last night in Rosalie and Alice's apartment.

When Bella walked in the door, Rosalie took one look at her friend's smug expression and pushed her down onto the couch.

"Ok, spill."

Bella smirked.

"So I got a phone call this evening from a lovely woman from Masen's Realtors..."

"You got the apartment!" screeched Alice, bouncing up and down next to her on the couch with what somehow seemed to be even more excitement than Bella.

"Yup!" she grinned, laughing at Rosalie's gobsmacked look. "I'm getting the keys tomorrow!" Alice squealed, clapping her hands in pure glee.

"Oh Bella, I'm going to have _so __much __fun _helping you design that apartment!"

Rosalie snorted.

"Yeah, 'helping'". She turned to Bella. "That's kind of soon, isn't it?"

Bella shrugged.

"It seems like the old guy's family wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. But hey, I'm not complaining!"

Rosalie wrinkled her nose.

"I bet they didn't even bother to clean it out properly. There's probably cobwebs everywhere and dead bugs lying all over the place, and it will _definitely _still stink of old person."

Bella pouted.

"Hey, don't hate my apartment!"

Alice looked at Bella seriously.

"Rosalie's right, Bella. We just can't let you live there until we've helped you clean it up enough to at least be fit for living it. Oh! We can do it this weekend!" she clapped her hands again, and resumed her excited bouncing. Bella groaned, but knew there was no reasoning with Alice when she was in this state.

"You mean I don't even get to live in my new apartment yet? That's just great..."

"Oh come on, Bella, it's just for a couple more nights. It will seem all the better if it's fresh and new and beautiful when you first move in! Otherwise you'll _never _get around to doing it up properly; I've seen that way too many times to let it happen to one of my best friends!"

Bella sighed, but let Alice have her fun. She wasn't counting on Rosalie getting in on it too, though.

"Let's make it a girls' weekend!" said the blonde, smirking at Bella mischievously. "We could spend one day at the spa I was telling Bella about, getting all-out relaxed and pampered, and the next day we could deal with Bella's 'independence'." Bella glared at her as Alice shrieked in her ear, and made a mental note not to let Alice have any more sugar until she had moved out properly. She knew Alice wouldn't let her get out of this.

"What a perfect idea, Rose!" Noticing Bella's expression, Alice continued enthusiastically. "Interior designing is a stressful business, Bella, I should know. You need to make sure you're completely relaxed before you start, otherwise it could have serious detrimental effects on your health."

Bella snorted at the last comment, and rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Al. As long as I don't have to organize it!"

Still shrieking and clapping happily, Alice bounded out of the room to arrange the torture.

* * *

><p>So...?<p>

Let me know what you think of this chapter! :D Reviews help Bella not feel dizzy again...


	9. Chapter 9

To those of you who were looking for this chapter on Sunday night and didn't manage to find it until Monday morning... I'm sorry! I've been running way behind schedule this whole weekend, **despite **having an extra hour today due to the clocks going back! :( (but technically, in *my* timezone I'm only like 35 minutes late uploading this...! :P)

As always, thankyouthankyouthankyou to my awesometastic RL beta Robyn, who at this point in the story began to think she might be enjoying it after all... :P (She's a *calm* Twilighter, but not that into fanfic. She had *no idea* what she was getting herself into when she "volunteered" (ie insisted) to be my beta.)

To those of you asking questions in the reviews - I ain't sayin nothin. :P

And now, without further ado, I give you _Chapter 9_! (featuring mildly drunky Alice)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

The following Sunday morning, Bella was woken relatively early by the sound of bacon sizzling in a pan and, somehow, the smell of what seemed to be slightly burnt coffee. Blearily, she rubbed her eyes, effortfully pulling herself to a sitting position from the squishy confines of the couch.

"Whuzz goin' on?" she croaked, clearing her gravelly throat loudly. A large head with comically tousled dark, curly hair poked around the kitchen door, followed by half of an equally large, naked torso.

"Morning Bella!" said Emmett, way too brightly for that time of day.

"Hey Emmett," she said, slumping back down into the couch and wondering vaguely how he had managed not to scald himself with the fat that always spat out of the pan and burned Bella whenever she cooked bacon. "Try not to set the place on fire, 'kay?" His booming laugh rang out across the apartment, and she cringed at the noise, hoping for everyone's sake that it didn't wake Alice, who would no doubt be unbelievably hyper until they reached the spa. Quickly, as if on the same wavelength as Bella, a seductive sing-song voice rang out from Rosalie's bedroom.

"Emm-ett..."

Bella heard plates and mugs hastily clattering onto a tray, and then Emmett's footsteps entered the living room.

"Coming, babe!" He walked past Bella on the couch, turning his head and winking at her. "See ya later, Bells."

"Ugh!" she threw her hand across her face, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Jeez, Emmett, at least put some proper clothes on!" He laughed again, and she waited until he had taken himself and his tight boxer briefs that left little to the imagination out of the room, before rolling over and trying to get back to sleep.

**~o0o~**

Sitting in the back of the cab with Alice jiggling about in her seat on one side of her and Rosalie with her head leaned back and her eyes closed in serenity on the other, Bella was already wishing she had figured out some way of getting out of this. When she had naturally asked why they were taking a cab instead of driving to the spa, she had been met with rolled eyes. Apparently, they were "doing this day properly", which seemed to include an amusing amount of champagne. As they got closer, and Alice got even more ridiculously excited, Bella shot Rosalie a pleading look. Rosalie glanced over at Alice, and laughed.

"Leave her at it, Bells. She needs to get rid of it all before she allows herself to relax. This is her usual pre-spa behaviour." The cab driver raised his eyebrows, and caught Bella's eye in the rear view mirror. Evidently, she wasn't alone in her skepticism.

Finally they pulled into the parking lot of a posh, modern-looking building. As they climbed out of the car and paid the driver, Bella was immediately intimidated.

"Guys, I don't know about this..." she began, shaking her head slowly. Alice and Rosalie immediately stepped up on either side of her, grabbing her upper arms in a surprisingly vice-like grip. Ignoring her pleas, they half-dragged her into the building, and up to the front desk, where the receptionist greeted Rose and Alice like they were old friends.

"Gianna, sweetie, we'd like you to meet Bella," said Rosalie, without relinquishing her grip on Bella's arm. Gianna laughed, as Bella grimaced and attempted to wave hello, still unable to movie either of her upper arms. "She'll probably keep saying she just wants to go home, but give her the full deal. We know what's best for her."

"Sure thing, Rosalie!" Gianna smiled, and handed Bella a form. "I think one of you might need to let go for a few minutes while she fills this out for our records." Grumbling, Alice loosened her grip, still staying close to Bella as if expecting her to try and make a run for it.

"Guys, come on," Bella whined, exasperated but amused. "I'm here, aren't I? I think you can trust me not to run away." Rosalie managed a laugh, and also let go of Bella's arm, but she too hovered. Bella sighed, and completed the form quickly, muttering darkly about 'untrusting friends'. When she had finished, the girls were directed into a quiet changing room, where Bella was instructed to strip down and put on a thick, white, fluffy robe. The 'calming' music was already making her snort in amusement.

"Come on, Bella," whined Alice. "You're going to ruin it for me and Rose. Just accept the fact that you're here to be pampered, and you might even enjoy yourself!" Bella sighed in defeat.

"Sorry guys. I promise I'll try and have a good time, no matter how cheesy it is." She giggled, and Rose and Alice rolled their eyes. "So, champagne, you say...?"

**~o0o~**

A few hours later, after mud baths, facials, dainty little sandwiches that had made Bella giggle, and the most glorious, and, admittedly, relaxing massage she could ever have hoped to have in her lifetime – and of course, a few glasses of champagne, all in the name of relaxation – Bella, Alice and Rosalie sat on high, squishy salon chairs, the very last inch of their bodies being beautified as their feet soaked in warm water, waiting to be buffed and the nails to be polished. Rosalie took a sip from her tall, nearly empty glass, and sighed in pleasure.

"Ahh..." She sank down further into her chair. "You can't tell me you didn't enjoy this, Bella."

Bella giggled, feeling the effect of the afternoon's champagne as a pleasant buzz making its way all over her body.

"I guess you were right this time, Rose."

"Damn right she was!" hollered Alice, who was probably half a bottle ahead of Bella in the alcohol department.

Bella closed her eyes, enjoying the relative peace now, and hoping it would last. Lightweight Alice could be a nightmare on the ride home.

Soon the beauticians returned, armed with pumice and a rainbow of nail polish colors, and finally, as Rosalie drained her last glass, it was time to go home. They walked out into the cool air of the parking lot as it was just beginning to get dark, Alice humming happily to herself and Rosalie pretend she didn't need to focus a little to walk in a straight line. Bella herself was still buzzing, but she hadn't had as much champagne as the others. She'd been feeling a bit off now and then over the last few days, and she didn't want to risk throwing too much alcohol into the mix. As they sat on a bench outside the spa, waiting for the cab, Alice laid her head on Bella's shoulder happily.

"I'm glad you came with us today, Bells. I'm gonna miss you when you move out."

Bella laughed.

"I'm only going across the hall, Al. Besides, you were fine without me for years before I ended up crashing on your couch!"

Alice didn't answer, only continued to hum happily.

**~o0o~**

The cab brought them into the centre of town, and Alice, rowdy again, decided she wanted to get out and walk from there. Rosalie tottered along behind her serenely with Bella, happy to give Alice what Alice wanted in order to keep her quiet. Just after passing a small pizzeria, a shout rang out into the evening.

"Bella!" Bella turned in surprise, and saw Edward and Jasper striding towards them, a smile on Edward's face, but before she could reply, a small, human-like whirlwind spun past her.

"JASPER!" Screechy Alice was back. "I haven't seen you in _weeksss_!" She ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and engulfing him in a tight hug before he even realized what was happening. He patted her lightly on the back and laughed, smelling the alcohol on her breath.

"Hi Alice. You know, for most people it's a _good _thing that they haven't seen a doctor in weeks!"

She dropped her arms and jumped back giddily, sticking her tongue out at him and making him laugh more. She suddenly noticed Edward.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, sorry," said Jasper, turning and grinning at Edward's amused expression. "This is my good friend, Edward. He's the one I was telling you about, who's got self defense classes going on at the high school."

"Oh!" said Alice happily. She blinked. "OH!" She turned to look at Bella. "That's Edward!"

Bella cringed inwardly.

"Yes, Alice. That's Edward."

Alice turned back.

"You're Edward," she said to Edward, nodding confidently.

Edward laughed.

"Hi, Alice. It's nice to meet you." She shook his hand, turning to Rosalie and mouthing, "that's Edward!"

Rosalie giggled, and mouthed back, "I know!"

Bella rolled her eyes.

"And this is Rosalie, Edward." He nodded at Rosalie, his hand still busy being pumped up and down vigorously by Alice. Finally, she dropped his hand, as if a sudden idea had struck her.

"Hey! You know what would be grrreat?"

Bella raised her eyebrows.

"What would be _grrreat_, Alice?"

"Jasper and Edward should come help us out with your apartment tomorrow!"

Bella opened her mouth to protest, to say that she was sure Edward and Jasper had other plans and didn't need their day taken up by painting and decorating, but Rosalie got there first.

"Al-ice!" she whined. "It was going to be a girls' day! You can't have boys at a girls' day!" Alice pouted, speaking over Jasper's attempt to say he didn't want to intrude.

"But Rose, it will be fun, I _promise_!"

Rosalie pouted back, and then whipped out her cell phone.

"Fine, but if you two get to invite Jasper and Edward, I get to invite Emmett!" She punched in the number before anybody, least of all the two men whose services had just been demanded for the following day, could object, and soon she had it ringing loudly on speakerphone.

"Hey baby, what's up?" The voice on the other end was muffled.

"Emmett!" squeaked Rosalie. Bella snorted. "Want to come help us decorate Bella's apartment tomorrow? Dr Whitlock will be there, and Bella's Kung Fu teacher Edward."

"Self defense!" hissed Bella in Rosalie's ear, not looking at Edward as she heard him shaking with laughter.

"Sure thing, babe," came Emmett's muffled voice. Rosalie and Alice cheered idiotically, and Rosalie hiccupped. Emmett laughed. "Are you drunk, Rosie?" Rosalie giggled again.

"Just a li'l bit tipsy, Emmy-bear."

"Aw, baby, you know you can only call me that when we're in private. Now you're just asking for a spanking."

Alice cackled, as Edward and Jasper looked unsure whether to laugh or feel awkward. Bella rolled her eyes.

"Speakerphone, Emmett!"

"What's wrong, Bella? Getting all hot and bothered after copping an eyeful this morning?" Emmett's laugh crackled as it threatened to break the speaker on Rosalie's cell phone. Alice's jaw dropped comically to her feet as Bella blushed a hot shade of red, trying to ignore Rosalie's snigger and, annoyingly, Edward's explosion of laughter, while Jasper bit the inside of his cheek and tried to remain neutral and professional.

"That was your fault, Emmett!" The laughter continued, and Bella gave up, dropping her face into her hands. "Just make sure you wear more tomorrow, because don't think I'm letting you into my apartment dressed like that!" Rosalie laughed outright as she snapped the phone shut, and Edward continued sniggering, trying to give Bella an apologetic look but failing miserably. Alice, meanwhile, had already forgotten the incident, and was ordering the boys to be at Bella's early the following morning, as they had a lot of work to do.

"Hang on," said Jasper, looking on amusedly as Alice took her time scrawling her phone number diligently onto the back of his hand 'in case he forgot the address and needed to call her', "don't you guys have to work?"

"_Spring __break, __baby!_" screeched Rosalie, making everyone jump, as she had been mostly quiet for the last few minutes. Bella flicked her on the side of the head.

"You're not in college any more, Rose!"

Rosalie shrugged.

"Well, they can do without me for a day, they'll get over it."

"And what about you, Alice?" said Jasper, glancing down at the pixie-like face that now started up at him in rapture. "What's your excuse?"

"Oh, I don't need an excuse, _Dr __Whitlock_," she purred, Bella cringing hugely for the girl when she remembered this tomorrow, while Jasper cocked one eyebrow down at her.

"Alice is calling designing Bella's new interior 'unpaid practice'," butted in Rosalie, earning a scowl from Alice as she finally dropped Jasper's now-inky hand and shrugged, nodding.

"'s true." She yawned suddenly, and rubbed her hand across her eyes sleepily.

"Alright, Tinkerbell," said Bella laughing, linking her arm through one of Alice's as Rosalie did the same on the other side. When the slump hit Alice, it hit her hard. "Time for bed." They swiveled her around, allowing her to wave sleepily but happily at Jasper as he shook his head, laughing at her.

"Goodnight, ladies."

"Bye Jasper!" they chorused, as Edward gave them all a wave as well. He called out as they began to round the corner.

"Bye, Bella!"

Bella tilted her head to one side and smiled to herself, for once suddenly happy to be singled out. She turned her head.

"Bye, Edward. See you tomorrow!" She turned back to her girls, just in time to hear Alice whisper loudly in Rosalie's ear.

"That's Edward!"

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><p>Reviews are better than bumping into KungFuWard on your way home. ;)<p>

And since it's technically just about October 31st where I am... _Happy Halloween!_ :D


	10. Chapter 10

Wow. **What a weekend **to be a Twilight fan. Handprints and footprints at the Chinese Theatre, LA Twicon, and only around 6 billion media interviews... :L

ANYWAY.

Chapter 9? **WOW! :O XD **Chapter 9 got _double _the number of hits every single day this week than any other chapter so far! :O You guys ROCK. :D And I'd like to take this opportunity to just say that I read _all _my reviews, and I do try to reply to as many of them as I can. But reviews that don't have a reply link make me sad because then I can't say thank you. :( So **THANK YOU!** XD

One last thing - if anyone here is doing NaNoWriMo (see NaNoWriMo[dot]org) this month, then GOOD LUCK! NaNoWriMo is the entire reason this fanfic exists past chapter 2... So if I can push myself to do it, _anyone_ can! :) :L

Okay, that's enough rambling from me. :P Hope you like this chapter - let the redecorating begin!

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

Alice bounded into the kitchen to join Bella and Rosalie and their steaming mugs of coffee at the table, scowling as Bella pulled the chocolate cereal away just as she reached for it.

"Nuh-uh, Alice, no sugar for you today. You've got to be productive, and we've got to put up with you."

Alice grinned, the excitement of her plans for the day far overwhelming her momentary annoyance at Bella.

"By the way Alice," said Rosalie airily, "I hope you've scheduled multiple snack breaks for today, the boys are going to want them."

Alice blushed a little and bit her lip.

"Um, yeah, sorry about that, guys... I don't know what came over me last night."

Rosalie snorted.

"_We_ do."

"But hey, look on the bright side!" said Alice, cheering up again. "Now we have an excuse not to do any of the heavy lifting!"

Bella's eyebrows raised in alarm.

"Heavy lifting? What _have _you got planned for today?"

"Relax, Bella," said Alice, rolling her eyes. "I just spotted a few things on sale in the second hand furniture store the other day. You said the apartment was being sparsely furnished, so think of it as a really early birthday and Christmas present combined. From me _and _Rose."

Bella glared, but knew she had no choice but to accept it. She shot Rosalie an accusing look, who shrugged, as if to say, 'you don't say no to Alice'. It was true.

"_Speaking _of last night," said Alice, swiftly and not-so-subtly changing the subject, "I don't mean to judge a book by its cover, but _hel-LO, __Edward!_You said he was hot, but you never said he was _that_ hot!" Rosalie snorted with laughter, and Bella blushed, but pretended not to notice.

"Wow, Al, I'm surprised you managed to tear your eyes away from _Dr __Whitlock_ long enough to notice him... other than "identifying" him maybe once or twice!"

Alice groaned and covered her face with her hands, peeking out between her fingers.

"D'you think he'll remember?"

"Jasper or Edward?"

"Both!" she wailed, dropping her head onto the table.

"Honey, I'm pretty sure Jasper spent the whole night remembering," laughed Rosalie, while Alice groaned again and Bella giggled. "And as for you, missy," she continued, turning to look accusingly at Bella, "what was that between you and Edward?"

"Wh- what do you mean?" faltered Bella, her cheeks reddening. "Nothing happened!"

"Exactly!" said Rose exasperatedly. "What the hell _was _that? You barely said two words to him, and there was I thinking you were practically in _lurve _with him!"

Bella cringed.

"Don't exaggerate, Rose. We've been through this already. Edward wants to be my _friend_."

"Whatever." Rosalie, bored of the conversation now, stood up to empty her mug into the sink. "Just don't freak out if he turns up on your doorstep someday soon with a rose held between his teeth or something. That guy has the hots for you whether you want to believe it or not. I can sense these things."

Bella snorted.

"What, like you could "sense" Royce King was into you in college just before he ended up with that Italian guy Marcus?" At this, Alice finally lifted her head up off the table again and laughed too, as Rosalie stalked from the room and went to get dressed, her long hair swishing indignantly.

**~o0o~**

"You. Got. Paint. In. My. Hair." Rosalie stood, gripping a paintbrush menacingly, glaring at Emmett. He grinned cheekily, waggling his own paintbrush at her, and she launched at him, slapping a thick stripe of "frosted dawn" across his face before dashing to hide behind the couch, giggling like a schoolgirl. Emmett took a minute to spit out a mouthful of paint onto the old sheet that covered the floor, before launching after Rosalie and chasing her into the kitchen, from where the others now heard slightly alarming shrieks accompanied by more giggles. Alice turned from the patch of wall she was meticulously painting, her face conflicted, as if one half of her wanted to follow and shoo them back to the living room, away from anything that could be ruined if the paint got on it; and the other half sincerely didn't want to see what Rose and Emmett were doing in there.

"I swear, if you guys get _any _paint on those cabinets, I will personally castrate _both _of you!" she shouted, her voice surprisingly loud and scary for such a small person. Giggles only slightly muted, Rosalie returned back into the living room, dragging a pouting Emmett behind her.

"I don't like you when you're working, Alice," she said, picking up her paintbrush again. "You're mean."

Alice smiled at her sardonically.

"Honey, this is me on a _good _day."

Jasper, whose gaze had been flickering cheekily but cautiously between his own paintbrush and Alice throughout the incident, quickly turned away and focused diligently on the patch of wall he had been allocated, his face amusingly serious again. Edward snorted quietly and mouthed something Bella couldn't figure out in Jasper's direction. Jasper scowled and flipped Edward off, at which Edward merely laughed again, reaching around Bella to get to the paint can.

Bella sighed, and continued to methodically work her brush strokes up and down, humming quietly to the song drifting in from the radio in the kitchen.

The minute Alice had walked into the apartment that morning, she had immediately abandoned whatever plans she had woken up with and demanded that Bella go down to the hardware store and buy a very specific, and almost impossible to find, shade of paint, because the living room was, as she had put it, "completely unlivable in" – which, to be fair, with its brown-streaked walls and millions of small clean rectangles where pictures had once hung, wasn't entirely inaccurate. By the time Bella had returned, Emmett, Edward and Jasper had arrived – and had hit off immediately – and together with Alice and Rosalie, they had the opened windows, covered what little furniture remained in the living room with plastic sheets Alice had pulled out of nowhere, and dutifully snooped around every inch of Bella's new home.

After snarling at Emmett and, to everyone's surprise, Jasper, for then suggesting it was time for a coffee break, Alice announced they were going to have the entire living room repainted by lunch time, before moving on to the bedroom – at which point Emmett's wiggling eyebrows had lead him very close to actually being bitten by Alice – where Edward and Jasper would assemble the bed she had bought, while she, Bella and Rosalie hung the new drapes throughout the apartment and Emmett, who continually boasted about being a handyman extraordinaire, fixed the leaky faucet in the bathroom. After this, Bella's army-general-slash-best-friend announced, they were to report back to her with their progress.

Bella began to hum a little bit louder, trying to ignore the whispers and giggles coming from Rosalie and Emmett's corner of the room. She loved Alice, but to tell the truth, her "work" persona scared her a little. Still, she was glad her friend had offered to help – without her, Bella would have ended up leaving the apartment in the squalor it had been that morning for a ridiculously long time.

"Hey, Rose," whispered Emmett, his voice carrying easily across the room. "You've got some paint on your face."

Rosalie smirked at him.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it's right here on your chin."

Bella glanced around, and smirked as Emmett managed to wipe a splodge of paint right across Rosalie's mouth. She glared at him again.

"Oh, that's not on, mister." Grabbing his face, she kissed him messily, covering him in paint where he had rubbed it off only minutes earlier. Rather than pushing her away, Emmett slid his paint-covered hands down her back, picking her up suddenly and allowing her to clamp her legs around his waist. All four of the others groaned loudly.

"Come on, guys!" said Bella, her amusement peeking through her facade of annoyance. "Don't defile my apartment on its very first day!" Edward and Jasper laughed, already coming to understand Emmett and Rosalie's shameless relationship, and Bella backtracked quickly. "Actually, scratch that, please don't defile my apartment _ever_!" Rosalie and Emmett broke apart, sniggering, and Rosalie slithered back down to the ground, as Alice surveyed the room.

"Congratulations everybody, I believe phase one is complete."

Emmett did a little cheer.

"Finally, food time!"

"Clean up first!" hollered Alice, stepping in front of Emmett and barring his way into the kitchen. Emmett stared at her in disbelief while his stomach rumbled loudly, but Alice stood her ground, hands on her hips. Grumbling, Emmett gave up, and went to collect his and Rosalie's paintbrushes. Patting him lightly on the head and muttering "good boy," Rosalie confidently sauntered over to Alice, attempting to pass her.

"Do you not have ears in your head, woman? I said clean up first!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"What do you think we invited the boys here for? To sit around and look pretty?"

Alice just stared at her, while realization dawned on Rosalie's face that Alice wasn't in a joking mood today. Scowling and muttering under her breath, she went to join Emmett.

"Domineering little hussy." She passed Jasper, who was staring at Alice with a strangely desirous look on his face, as she stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, stretched up to her full height. "I said domineering, not dominatrix." She snapped her fingers loudly in his face and his trance broke, and he quickly cleared his throat and bent to pick up a can of paint, while Alice looked away and tried to pretend she wasn't blushing. Bella bent to pick up the remaining paint can, and her hand bumped into Edward's as he reached for the same thing. She gasped a little bit in surprise, and drew her hand back nervously. He grinned at her.

"Can't have the apartment owner actually doing any of the work, now, can we Bella?" He glanced over in Alice's direction pointedly, before looking back to Bella and winking. She giggled, putting her hand over her mouth in case the formidable Alice might notice them actually having fun, and then, upon realizing that her hand was in fact covered with paint, withdrew it quickly, still giggling.

Edward laughed at her paint-covered mouth, and before she knew what was happening, he had pulled the sleeve of his shirt over his hand and was using it to carefully wipe the paint off her face. She felt her cheeks heat up, and without looking at him she stood quickly, almost running into the kitchen where Alice had finally let the forces through. Alice herself was occupied showing Jasper the correct way to fill a kettle – apparently he needed a lot of very hands-on assistance – but Rosalie, managing to divert her attention from feeding Emmett little pieces of cookie for a minute, gave Bella a strange look, which Bella quickly shrugged off as she searched around for the mugs Alice had put away that morning. Edward followed her in slowly, standing in the doorway of the kitchen which was far too small for six people, and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Bella avoided his gaze, spooning coffee into the mugs she had finally found in the cupboard above the refrigerator, trying to convince herself that she did _not_ have a crush on Edward Cullen.

**~o0o~**

Later on, when Alice had gotten everybody started on "Phase 3" – "Phase 2" having been an impromptu spring-cleaning of the rest of the rooms, relatively quick but surprisingly thorough – Bella and Rosalie were standing on chairs in front of the sink, stretching and wobbling to and fro as Alice ordered them around until finally the slatted blinds were straight. As they climbed down from the chairs Rosalie grabbed Bella's hand, and after poking her head out the door to make sure all the boys were otherwise occupied, sat her down roughly.

"Right. You're going to tell us what's going on with you and Edward. I don't care if we have to sit here till midnight, but the guys might get a little suspicious."

Bella pretended to be confused.

"I don't know what you mean," she mumbled, looking down, and Alice began to tap her foot impatiently.

"You've been avoiding him like the plague since lunch time, and on top of that you've been weirdly quiet. Rose told me you were acting strange when you came into the kitchen after we finished painting the living room. Did he do something to you?"

Bella looked up, aghast.

"No! He didn't do anything. I just..." She looked down at her hands, twisting them in her lap. "I don't really know what's going on. One minute I'm laughing and we're getting on great and having a really good time, the next minute I get really scared and unsure and I just feel stupid for even _thinking_ he could be attracted to me, and... I don't know what I'm doing, guys." She blinked rapidly, tears beginning to moisten her eyes. Rosalie slammed a screwdriver harshly onto the counter, making Bella jump, muttering something under her breath about "killing that motherfucker", and Alice crouched down next to Bella, reaching out gently to hold her hand.

"You need to let go of anything Felix ever made you feel, Bells," she said softly, brushing Bella's hair out of her face. "I know you don't believe us, but it's easy to see that Edward really likes you. The way he was looking at you today... And he looks like he's treading on eggshells, trying not to upset you, because he knows what happened with Felix. And then when you started giving him the cold shoulder... I know you didn't mean to hurt him, but the poor boy looked so confused."

Bella sniffed, and looked at her friends through her dampening eyelashes.

"You really think he feels that way?"

Rosalie crouched down to join Alice.

"We know it."

Bella sighed, still unsure, and her bottom lip wobbled.

"You need to let him know you're not mad at him, Bells. He'll be a man and get over it either way, but I know how you work, and it'll make _you _feel better."

Bella nodded sadly, and took a deep breath, looking up.

"You're right, guys. I'm sorry I've been such a mess like this the last few weeks. It's going to be hard, but I promise I'll try my best not to let _anything _related to Felix interfere with my life again."

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><p>Reviews make Edward explode from sweetness (in the best possible way :P ).<p>

Also, the more/more exciting reviews I get, the quicker I respond to them! :P

:D

(and don't worry... chapter 11 continues straight on from this...!)


	11. Chapter 11

You guys... There's only **5 more sleeps** till Breaking Dawn Part 1 hits theatres...! :O XD (4 if you're going to a midnight showing on Thursday. In which case, I hate you. :P)

Anywho, back to the issue at hand. This chapter follows on directly from the previous chapter, and is chock full of cuteness and moments. ;) :D So... Enjoy! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

After finishing up in the kitchen, the girls began hanging the cream-colored drapes in the living room. All of a sudden, there was a loud metallic crash from the bathroom where Emmett was working. After a moment of silence, they heard a slightly worried call.

"Uh... can I get a little help in here?"

Rosalie snorted, and they heard muted laughter coming from the bedroom where Edward and Jasper were working as well.

"Probably fell down the toilet or something. I'll go see if he needs rescuing."

She left the room, sniggering, and Alice took her place on the chair, viciously yanking the fabric into place. She looked around her, absently toying with a long, loose piece of thread hanging down.

"Dammit." She hopped back off the chair. "I think I left the scissors in with the boys. Back in a minute." As she headed into the bedroom, Bella climbed down off her chair, sitting on it and crossing her legs. The quiet conversations in the apartment were further distorted by the music from the radio which blared obnoxiously from the kitchen. Her foot jiggled up and down as she surveyed the suddenly-new room with pride. She finally had something that was all hers, that no one could take away from her, and despite all the things that had happened, that made her feel safe and happy. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. Hearing footsteps, she turned her head lazily towards them, eyes still closed.

"Did you find them?"

Hearing a rather gruff cough her eyes sprung open, and in front of her stood Edward; tall, dark(ish) and handsome, and smiling hopefully. Despite the light blush that rose up her face reflexively, she forced herself to smile back nervously. He seemed to relax.

"Jazz and Alice were a little distracted looking for the scissors, so I figured I'd bring them in here to you and leave them at it. I didn't think they'd notice anyway." He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at Bella and making her laugh.

"Alice does have a very distractible nature."

Encouraged and seeming oddly relieved, Edward perched himself on the arm of the couch opposite Bella.

"So, how does it feel to be a brand new homeowner?"

Bella's smile lit up her face.

"It feels like everything is starting to go right again."

Edward chuckled.

"I'm glad." He stood up, snapping at the air with the scissors Alice had forgotten about. "So, what's left to do?"

"Not much, said Bella, standing up too. "Just a loose thread to deal with, and then I think we're pretty much finished. Here, pass me up the scissors." She climbed onto the chair again and Edward handed her the scissors, watching her intently as she reached towards the hanging thread. Suddenly, the chair gave a little wobble and Bella began to lose her balance. Almost before she even realized what was happening, two strong hands grabbed her hips, steadying her. Forcing herself to breathe and not to freak out, Bella concentrated on carefully snipping the thread, her heart thudding as she felt Edward's close proximity. His warm hands stayed gripping her firmly as she finished up, and she tried not to let the thought of them distract her as she turned around slowly to get down, telling herself not to be disappointed when they disappeared and accepting his now outstretched hand for balance as she stepped off the chair. She looked up at him, intending to thank him, but was distracted by the intense look in his green eyes as he gazed back. They stared at each other for a few seconds, Bella's heart beating nervously as she tried to think of something to say. Suddenly, they were jolted back to reality by an explosion from the bathroom, followed by shrieks from Rosalie and swearing from Emmett as the unmistakable sound of water spraying everywhere drowned out even the radio. Blinking at each other and trying not to laugh, Bella and Edward ran to the bathroom door in time to see Emmett frantically twisting something under the sink, finally managing to stop the fountain, but not before he and Rosalie were completely soaked to the skin. Skidding out of the bedroom looking slightly flustered came Jasper and Alice, stopping short when they saw the mess in front of them.

"What the hell _happened_?" wailed Alice, surveying the damage with a look of horror on her face that Bella thought should probably belong to her, the _owner _of the bathroom-turned-swimming pool.

"Uh..." Emmett scratched the back of his head self-consciously. "I _may _have kicked the pipe..." Alice frowned in confusion, turning her head sideways and squinting as if trying to figure out how that was even possible. Noticing Rosalie looking sheepishly in the other direction, she decided not to ask. Just then, the buzzer rang loudly. Emmett perked up. "Pizza's here!"

**~o0o~**

They sat on the floor of the living room, open pizza boxes surrounding them, laughing and eating hungrily. Now that all the work was done, and the pile of soggy towels a testament to their labored attempts at drying the bathroom, Alice had relaxed somewhat, and was giggling girlishly at Jasper's stories of his time in med school. Bella sat next to Edward, nervous and acutely aware of his presence so close to her, but a more excited kind of nervous than she was used to. Rosalie curled half-in, half-on Emmett's lap, his protective arms around her staking more claim than just the bragging rights of the guys Rose used to date. Absentmindedly, Alice reached for the last piece of fallen pepperoni left in the box. Noticing Jasper also reaching, she stopped, and gestured to him that he could have it. Rolling his eyes, and already knowing Alice's huge appetite, he picked up the piece, bringing it to Alice's lips. She blushed, and parted them, taking the piece of pepperoni and sucking some tomato sauce off of Jasper's thumb in the process. He withdrew his hand slowly.

"Ok, that enough from you two!" said Rosalie loudly, standing up and breaking Alice and Jasper's spell as they blushed hotly, rolling her eyes and muttering what sounded like "platonic my ass". Bella stood as well and started picking up the pizza boxes.

"I suppose we should call it a night," she said, sighing as she went towards the kitchen with the boxes. "It's been a long day."

Alice looked forlorn, then suddenly her face brightened.

"Oh!" She looked around at everybody, grinning from ear to ear. "I know what we should do!"

Bella groaned theatrically.

"Is this another great idea like the one you had yesterday evening, Al?"

Alice ignored the jibe and continued.

"We should totally go clubbing!" Bella and Rosalie burst into laughter, as Emmett, Jasper and Edward looked slightly confused. "No, guys, come on!" pleaded Alice. "We _have _to go! We're not getting any younger, you know – this could be our last chance!"

The boys joined in with the laughter this time.

"We're not decrepit _yet_, Alice!" snickered Rosalie, patting her bubbly friend condescendingly on the head.

"_Gu-ys!_" whined Alice, sticking out her bottom lip. "I'm serious!"

"Maybe it would be fun," suggested Jasper, looking at Alice hopefully. Alice practically hugged him.

"Yes! See, Jasper agrees!"

Rosalie snorted.

"Of course he does. Fine. I'm up for it if you are, Bells?"

Bella thought about it for a minute.

"I guess so. We haven't been out together in such a long time. It might be nice." She clamped her hands over her ears as Alice squealed, unluckily for Jasper right into his ear.

"_Yay!_" She jumped up, turning to Edward and Emmett. "You guys are coming too, right?" Edward looked at Emmett, who shrugged.

"If Rose is going, I'm going."

"Then I guess we're all going." Edward smiled obediently at Alice, who was too busy looking for her cell phone to notice. Jasper pulled it out of her back pocket and handed it to her. She smiled sweetly at him and checked the time, switching back into organizational mode.

"Meet us downstairs in one hour, ok guys?" She slipped her phone back into her pocket, and turned towards the boys, speaking to all of them though she only looked at Jasper. "Don't be late!"

**~o0o~**

Bella fumbled around Alice and Rosalie's apartment, looking for her purse. She had moved some of her stuff into her new place, and would move herself there properly tomorrow. Spying it under the coffee table and bending over to get it, she heard a wolf whistle behind her from Rosalie's bedroom door.

"Well look at you, Miss Swan! Edward's not going to know what hit him." Bella blushed, adjusting her deep blue minidress self-consciously.

"I don't know, Rose..."

"Bella, I promise you. He was giving you puppy dog eyes all through dinner, if only you hadn't been too chicken to look at him. He's putty in your hands."

Bella bit her lip unsurely.

"Do you think so...?"

Rosalie smiled.

"I know so."

Alice came pirouetting out her bedroom, wearing a flattering sea green.

"Are we ready ladies?"

"Hell yeah!" said Rosalie, grabbing her purse and pouting into the mirror in the hall, reapplying her lip gloss. Alice butted her with her hip, trying to get a space at the mirror.

"I don't know why you bother, Rose," she said airily, opening her own lip gloss and applying it liberally. "Once Emmett gets at you it'll be gone in three seconds." Rosalie raised an eyebrow, looking at Alice, and Bella snorted incredulously from across the room. "What?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Alice darling, but I don't foresee yours lasting very long either."

Alice giggled, slipping the lip gloss back into her purse.

"I never said I was a good example."

They tottered quickly down the stairs, Bella unused to wearing heels that high but not _too _worried about it. She felt jittery, partly from excitement and nervousness about what the night might bring, and partly from the slight chill that still hung in the air. Her stomach churned, her anxiousness threatening to get the better of her, but she tried to remind herself that butterflies in her tummy were ok in this situation.

She stepped out onto the sidewalk just behind Rose and Alice, and immediately spotted Emmett, Jasper and Edward waiting for them on the sparsely-lit street. Rosalie went immediately to Emmett, embracing him in a thoroughly inappropriate PDA just as Alice had predicted, and causing Alice to sigh and shake her head dramatically. Jasper grinned hugely when he saw Alice, his eyes lighting up like a child at Christmas, and to Bella's surprise, she blushed, smiling at him shyly as she walked over. Bella looked nervously at Edward, unable to see the expression on his face as he stood in a shadow. She took a step forward, and as his face became visible, she felt strangely empowered by his reaction, to her amazement having to bite back a laugh despite her nerves. No matter what Bella kept telling herself, it looked as if Rose might be right. Edward stared at her, his eyes large, and didn't seem at first to notice her attention. He licked his lips and swallowed thickly, before suddenly regaining his composure. He grinned his irresistible crooked smile as his eyes met hers, striding towards her confidently and bending down to whisper in her ear.

"You look _amazing_." He stood up and winked at her, causing her to blush but smile, biting her bottom lip shyly. Yes, Rosalie may well have been right after all. They walked over to Alice, where she was eyeing Jasper's watch impatiently.

"It's not much of a walk, but we need to leave now if we want to get in before midnight."

Emmett saluted her obediently, and Alice pretended not to notice. As Jasper rang the hospital, reminding them once again – under Alice's orders – that he was not to be contacted on his night off, Alice leaned over and whispered in Bella's ear.

"Remember Bells. Forget the past. Live in the here and now." Bella glanced surreptitiously at Edward, and then turned back to Alice, taking a deep but hesitant breath.

"Are you sure?"

Alice grinned.

"Go for it."

She turned back to the group, where Jasper was just ending his phone call, and linked her arm through his authoritatively. "Come on!"

Emmett and Rosalie followed her, already arm-in-arm, and Edward looked at Bella, one eyebrow raised, his arm extended in her direction.

"Shall we?"

Bella giggled, and nervously grasped hold of his bicep, clinging closer to his side as the warmth of his body seeped into hers and protected her from the cool night air.

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><p>Chapter 12 follows on directly from this.<p>

Reviews convince me to upload it on Sunday MORNING instead of evening! XD

:3


	12. Chapter 12

Ok, firstly - ASDLGJAD;SLFGJAJGDFGA;L **BREAKING DAWN! ****:O** I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't managed to see it yet (um, WHY?), but I'll tell you one thing - BILL CONDON IS A GOD. Also, you **WILL **cry. That is all... :P

Which brings me to... Surprise! In honor of Breaking Dawn, I'm uploading chapter 12 Sunday MORNING instead of evening! :D You can thank me later. :L

Speaking of this chapter - my awesometastic beta Robyn really liked this chapter... And I think you guys will too... ;)

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><p><strong>Chatper 12<strong>

The six of them reached the club quickly, and to Alice's ever-increasing excitement, the line was short. They joined it quickly, Alice and Jasper slipping in front of Bella and Edward and behind Emmett and Rosalie, who were cuddled up closely and probably doing things Bella really didn't want to look too closely at. Jasper had snaked his arm around Alice's waist, possibly to assist gravity in keeping her somewhat attached to the ground amidst her excitement, but probably for other reasons. The other couples engrossed in their own private conversations, Edward leant down to Bella and spoke quietly in her ear.

"You ok, Bella? You've been kind of quiet."

Bella smiled at him, trying to be reassuring. The nerves in her stomach had been building on the walk to the club, and no matter how much she knew that Edward was a good person, and how many times her friends had told her that his feelings for her were blatantly obvious, she couldn't get rid of her anxiety and perpetual lack of self-confidence.

"I'm fine. I was just... thinking." He nodded and smiled back at her, but didn't look entirely convinced. She bit her lip. She didn't want to have this conversation here. "Edward... I'm sorry about... being weird like that at lunch time. I don't really know..." Edward cut her off with a finger to her lips. Her breath caught in her throat as he took his hand away.

"It's ok, Bella. Don't worry about it. Really." She looked at him, unsure. He flashed her a crooked smile, and she sighed, tightening her hold on his upper arm and shivering slightly as a cool breeze sailed past.

**~o0o~**

They lost sight of Rosalie and Emmett as soon as they stepped inside the club. Not feeling too worried, and honestly grateful they didn't have to witness whatever risqué things they would be doing, Bella and Jasper followed Alice to a table in the corner near the bar, quickly staking claim to it while Edward got the first round of drinks. Squeezing in beside Bella, he slammed a neon-colored bottle onto the table, along with a handful of shot glasses, grinning enthusiastically. Bella raised an eyebrow at him.

"We're celebrating your new apartment, Bella," he said loudly over the noise of the blaring music, unscrewing the lid of the bottle and pouring it out. "I'm not letting you do this half-assed."

"Here here!" shouted Alice, still grasping Jasper's arm as they both grabbed glasses enthusiastically.

"To apartment 3C!" toasted Edward, and they threw their heads back, downing the drinks quickly, Bella coughing as the alcohol hit her throat. Edward laughed at her and she grinned back ruefully, feeling the warmth of the alcohol hit her stomach. Jasper grabbed the bottle and started pouring again.

"To Bella!" he shouted, his smile true as he looked at Bella encouragingly before knocking back his shot. The others followed suit, but Alice, pouting, filled the glasses and looked at Jasper pointedly, her expression comic. He laughed. "And to Alice for making that apartment into a home!" Alice glowed, throwing the drink down her throat with the others.

**~o0o~**

An hour later, the alcohol was still flowing freely. Bella, not having eaten much pizza earlier as she had been feeling a bit funny, was feeling its effects more than the others. She giggled wildly as Alice climbed back over Jasper into her seat with a refresher bottle, the hands Jasper placed on her bare legs to "help her keep her balance" complimenting the gleeful, slightly leering look on his face as she clambered past. Spilling a large amount, Alice once again refilled the glasses.

"To alcohol!" shouted Bella, throwing the glass towards her face and pouring half of it down her chin. "Ooopss," she mumbled, wiping it with the back of her hand, blinking as her head went a little woozy for a second and her stomach gurgled oddly. Alice screeched with laughter, and re-poured.

"Again!" she called, clapping her hands.

Jasper grasped his glass.

"To Alice, for being the most beeeee..." he trailed off momentarily, as if forgetting what he was going to say. "For being _HAWT_!" he shouted triumphantly, knocking back the drink and reaching across the table to Edward for a high five which Edward, who seemed to be able to hold his alcohol quite well, only narrowly missed the first time, nearly throwing himself into the table. Alice, her cheeks already pink from the alcohol, fluttered her eyelashes at Jasper, the effect somewhat lessened by the slight lack of focus in her eyes. Just then Emmett appeared at the table, half dragging and half being dragged by Rosalie, who was draped all over him in an entirely inappropriate way.

"Rose and me are gonna head back to my place," he said. "You guys gonna be ok here?" Edward nodded, as Rosalie, eyes wide, shouted at Bella in glee.

"I'm drunk!"

Bella grinned back wildly.

"Me tooooo!" She stopped grinning for a minute and smacked her lips, swallowing as her stomach made another strange noise. It felt a little weird. Shaking her head to get rid of the feeling, she glanced over at Alice and Jasper to find them glued together solidly at the mouth, Alice's leg thrown over both of Jasper's and his hand sliding up it and out of sight beneath her short skirt. She cheered loudly and enthusiastically, drawing the attention of Rosalie, who joined her in the cheer, and Edward and Emmett, who wolf whistled noisily.

"Get in there, Alice!" cackled Rosalie. Alice released her grip from Jasper's hair long enough to show Rosalie her middle finger, before continuing what she was doing. The four roared with laughter, Rosalie still looking back every so often as Emmett dragged her towards the door, until he started kissing her neck, and her attention was otherwise engaged.

Bella looked at Edward, still giggling, as he glanced from Alice and Jasper back to her.

"Maybe we should give these two some time alone. Do you, uh, want to dance or something?"

"Yes!" shouted Bella excitedly, clapping, failing to recognize the humor that the inebriated persona which was managing to quell a lot of her inhibitions regarding Edward was amusingly similar to Alice's. "Let's dance!" She climbed over Edward, dragging him onto the dance floor and away from Alice and Jasper, who were getting dangerously close to illegal.

The speakers were playing a song unfamiliar to Bella, but she bounced along to it anyway, refusing to give in to the oddly squirming butterflies that still vaguely remained in her tummy, despite the alcohol. She grabbed Edward's hands and turned her back to him, placing them on her hips and swaying to the music, delighted when he pulled her closer and moved with her. His chest was pressed up so tightly against her back she thought she could almost feel his heartbeat. She felt like calling Felix, rubbing it in his face that maybe she wasn't as repulsive as he had seemed to think. She smacked herself drunkenly on the head, berating herself for letting Felix into her thoughts _again_. She had _promised _Alice and Rose... She shook her head, suddenly swaying off rhythm as the woozy feeling came back, accompanied by her gurgling tummy again. Edward leant down to speak in her ear, his soft breath tickling her.

"Bella, are you ok?"

She turned back around to face him, moving cautiously as her spirits began to sink.

"I don't think I feel well..."

"Do you want to go outside for a minute into the fresh air?"

Bella nodded sadly and Edward took her hand, reaching his arm around her waist when she stumbled, and led her outside.

She leaned against the wall, breathing in the cool night air, the cold sobering her up just a little but not doing much for what she was now sure was nausea. She breathed again deeply through her nose, eyes closed. She felt Edward move to the wall beside her, leaning against it too. With her next breath, she caught what she recognized as his smell, of aftershave and man and Edward. She opened her eyes, and realized he was closer than she had thought. She didn't move, but kept her eyes open, still breathing deeply, as she looked at his face just inches from hers. Her eyes flickered down to his lips then back up to meet his gaze, and her heart thudded as he slowly moved towards her another inch. Their noses were almost touching. She swallowed thickly, her hand suddenly flying up to her mouth as she pulled back quickly and turned around, heaving the contents of her stomach up noisily into the drain on the side of the road.

Edward held her hair back at the nape of her neck, trying not to show the reflexive repulsion on his face as she retched. When her stomach was empty, she stood up shakily, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes watering.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Edward slipped his hand around her waist again to steady her, and turned her quickly away from the mess on the road.

"It's ok, Bella," he soothed, walking her slowly back towards the door. He looked around anxiously, then made a split-second decision, sitting her down on the curb. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to tell Jasper and Alice what's going on, then I'm taking you back to Alice and Rosalie's place. You need to go to bed." Bella nodded weakly, dropping her head into her lap as a wave of fatigue washed over her. Edward was back in a few short minutes, helping her up again and putting his arm back around her waist, throwing her arm over his shoulder and half-carrying her down the sidewalk. Her stomach felt a lot better now, and all she wanted to do was sleep, but she managed to make herself help Edward drag her up the stairs to the apartment, knowing the elevator was permanently out of service and feeling guilty for causing Edward so much trouble. The thought of that only reminded her more of what Edward had just witnessed, and she felt like crying at what he must think of her – whatever feelings he may have had for her before were almost certainly gone now. Allowing him to search through her purse for the key, she half-fell into through the door as soon as he opened it, collapsing onto the couch and curling into a little ball. She moaned as she felt him try and lift her by the armpits, wishing he would just leave her in peace to sleep.

"Come on, Bella, up you get. You're going to sleep in Rosalie's bed tonight while she's at Emmett's." Willing to do anything just to get him to leave, Bella rolled off the couch and stumbled blindly towards Rosalie's room, falling onto the bed when she got there. As he gently pulled off her shoes, she fumbled with the zip on the back of her dress that was sticking into her. She had it about halfway down her back when she felt Edward's hand close over her own, stopping her. She moaned in frustration, mumbling incoherently and waving around behind her, grasping at the zip again. She heard Edward chuckle.

"Bella, would you _please _stop trying to take your clothes off?"

She scowled, her eyes closed, as she wriggled around until she found the top of the sheets, squirming down underneath them as Edward smoothed them over her, and immediately started snoring.

* * *

><p>Weeeellll...? ;)<p>

Reviews make me post spoilers on Twitter (iSparkleToo). :P Wait, did I just say that?


	13. Chapter 13

The **amazingly unprecedented **momentwhen chapter 12 gets THREE TIMES as many views as any chapter before it... :O I love you guys! And Welcome, any new readers!

And once again, I have to thank everyone who reviews - if I could respond to you all, I really would! As I've said, people whose profiles don't let me reply and say thank you make me sad. :( But this week particularly, I really want to say thank you to **4czgirl **- your review _really _meant a lot to me, and I wish I could have thanked you in person. 3 :')

Now, I know you're all waiting impatiently to find out whether Bella really _did _"stop trying to take her clothes off" as Edward requested... ;) So without further ado - here's chapter 13! I'll see you down below... :P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

Bleary-eyed, Bella struggled to wrench her eyelids apart, her head pounding. The clock on the bedside table said 14:08. She couldn't believe she'd slept so long. Trying to roll over carefully, she felt a sudden twisting in her stomach and launched herself out of Rosalie's bed, sprinting out the door and into the bathroom and almost flattening Jasper in the process as he leapt out of her way, grabbing onto the towel that hung around his waist having just gotten out of the shower. Barely managing to slam the bathroom door behind her, Bella threw up noisily into the toilet, dry heaving when her stomach was empty. Eventually the retching stopped and she crumpled onto the floor, leaning against the cool tiles with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. Soon, she heard gentle knocking on the door, and wished the noise would stop piercing her through skull.

"Bella, are you ok?" Alice's voice was quiet, no doubt also fearing the pain normal volume would bring. Bella forced herself to stand shakily, flushing the toilet and splashing cold water onto her grey, washed out face. She opened the bathroom door to a concerned Alice, and nodded, still breathing carefully.

"I'm ok now. Just a headache." Alice didn't look convinced, but allowed Bella to wander back into Rosalie's bedroom and slump down on the bed, after which Bella heard her returning to her bedroom and Jasper. She began to doze off, her stomach feeling settled again, but still sleepy despite her solid twelve hours rest, but was jolted back to consciousness when she heard Jasper leaving a while later.

"Make sure she has lots of fluids and plenty of rest." His voice was muted, but she heard the murmur of his laughter. "I guess she enjoyed herself a bit more than she's used to last night." Alice's tinkling laughed echoed back softly, and as Bella heard the front door close she decided it was probably time to drag herself out of her misery.

She stumbled into the kitchen, where Alice was brewing a fresh pot of coffee. Eyes bloodshot and hair suspiciously messy, she smiled at Bella sympathetically.

"How're you feeling?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Better, I think. Got any Tylenol?"

Alice grinned and slid the bottle across the table to her.

"Coffee?"

Bella wrinkled her nose.

"I think I'll stick to water." She stood up, filling a glass at the sink, and after thinking about it for a minute, popped a slice of bread into the toaster. She sat back down at the table, laying her head on her hands sideways. "So..." she said, eyeing Alice thoughtfully as she stood by the sink, a mug of coffee in her hands. "You finally got the doctor, huh?" Alice blushed but grinned, pulling out the chair opposite Bella and plonking herself into it.

"Oh _hell _yeah!" She giggled, wiggling her eyebrows, a wistful look appearing in her eyes. "That was _so _worth the wait. I bet that guy acedhis anatomy classes in med school..."

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, hands covering her ears.

"Gah! Too much information, Alice!"

Alice giggled again into her coffee, biting her lip, lost in her memories of the previous night. As if suddenly remembering, her head snapped back up to look at Bella inquisitively.

"What about you and Edward? Anything go on when he brought you back here that I shouldn't be telling Rose happened in her bed?" She winked, and Bella cringed and groaned as the memory of Edward helping her home came back to her.

"Not even _close_. Besides him holding my hair up as I vomited all over the sidewalk, in my drunken stupor I started trying to take off my dress as soon as I came within sight of the bed, and he told me to _stop_."

Alice winced in sympathy, and Bella looked down, realizing she was still wearing a now very crumpled version of said dress.

"He just didn't want to take advantage of you, Bells, don't lose heart."

Bella moaned, hiding her face in her hands.

"Not after last night. Whatever he felt before, there's no way he's going to want to come _near_me now!"

**~o0o~**

Half an hour later Bella was back in Rosalie's room, changing into something more comfortable. Picking up her dress and thinking about where to put it, she suddenly wondered why she was still in Alice and Rosalie's apartment. She wandered out to the living room where Alice was lounging on the couch, the T.V. on mute in front of her.

"Hey, Al, you want to help me move the rest of my stuff across to my new apartment?"

Alice looked up at her, surprised.

"You sure you want to be over there by yourself if you're still sick?"

Bella shook her head, waving her off.

"I'm feeling a bit better now, and to be honest, I just want to be in my own space where you guys don't have to worry about falling over me all the time. Besides, you'll be just across the hall if I need you!"

Alice shrugged.

"Alright, then. If you're sure!"

Bella smiled, and jumped slightly as her cell phone vibrated loudly in her pocket. She fished it out and looked at the caller ID, making a face and silencing the call. Alice looked at her curiously.

"Who'd you hang up on?"

"Edward."

"Bella..."

"I can't talk to him right now, Alice. Every time I think of what happened last night I start freaking out."

"You can't avoid him forever, Bella." Alice's voice was soft but insistent.

"I know, Al." Bella sighed. "I just... I can't face him yet." Her phone vibrated again, this time with a text message.

_You feeling better? Jazz said you were sick again today... Edward._

She shook her head, and closed the phone, slipping it back into her pocket. Alice looked at her scoldingly, but Bella ignored her, going back into Rosalie's bedroom to gather up the last of her things.

**~o0o~**

Bella sank into her new bed that night, her eyes closing almost before her head hit the pillow. She hadn't had much more than dry toast all through the day, still not sure if her stomach was feeling better, and much to her disappointment, had had hardly any time to enjoy the serenity of living completely on her own for the first time as strangely, she was completely exhausted.

Sleeping solidly again until midday the next day, she woke in a cold sweat, dashing for her new bathroom and making it to the toilet in time to empty the contents of her stomach once again. Sitting on the bathroom floor feeling like she'd had the stuffing knocked out of her, she allowed a few sad tears to trickle down her cheeks, feeling miserable and, ironically, alone. She dragged herself back into bed after a little while, curling up into a ball and feeling thankful that if she had to be sick, at least it was during spring break and she had a week off work. She had hated leaving those poor kids with so many temporary teachers...

She woke again later in the day, feeling slightly better but still a little queasy. Glancing at the calendar, she realized with a sinking feeling that it was Wednesday. Edward would be expecting to see her at self defense in half an hour. The thought of seeing him again after making such a fool of herself in so many ways made her feel sick, and she almost had to make another dash for the bathroom. Biting her lip, she reached for her phone, part of her not wanting to make contact with him but part of her knowing she couldn't just leave him hanging either.

_Not feeling well. Won't make self defense today. Bella._

She pressed send, a heavy feeling in her stomach. Well, it wasn't entirely untrue. Hearing a knock on the door, she dragged herself out of bed, pulling her tattered robe around her tightly and slipping her feet into her slippers. Putting one eye up to the peep hole she saw Alice and Rosalie, concerned looks on their faces. She opened the door, smiling sadly.

"Hey, guys."

They took in her bedraggled appearance, and Alice bit her lip.

"Are you still sick?"

"Yeah," mumbled Bella, walking over to the couch and curling up at the end of it. "Something tells me this isn't still a hangover."

Rosalie laughed, and started opening a Tupperware box she was carrying.

"We brought you some chicken casserole, if you feel like eating something." The smell wafted over to Bella, but before she could reply, a wave of nausea hit her hard. She sprinted for the bathroom, throwing up noisily, and heard Rosalie's strained voice from the other room. "I guess that's a 'no'..."

Wiping her mouth, Bella made her way back into the living room and onto the couch, her legs wobbly, as Rosalie returned from putting the casserole away safely in the fridge. Alice sat down beside Bella, stroking her hair.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I think I just need to battle through this one on my own," mumbled Bella closing her eyes. "And I'm still really tired..." She yawned, looking apologetically at Alice and Rosalie. "Sorry I'm such bad company, guys. Would you mind terribly if I just went to bed...?"

"Of course not, Bella," said Rosalie, smiling understandingly. "You need to rest." She and Alice left, closing the door quietly behind them, and Bella made her way back into bed again.

**~o0o~**

Bella almost wasn't surprised when she woke the next day and found herself running immediately for the bathroom. After flushing the toilet and opening the small window to try and get some air circulating, she switched on the T.V. the previous owner had left in the apartment, determined to not spend the entire day asleep again. Flicking through the crappy lunchtime shows, she noticed her cell phone sitting on the coffee table next to her. Picking it up idly, she discovered another text from Edward, sent yesterday evening.

_Sorry you're still not feeling better. :( Anything I can do to help? Let me know. Edward._

Biting her lip, a strange sadness passing through her, she threw the phone down to the other end of the couch. She wished he would just _tell_ her he was disgusted with her, and leave her alone to wallow in her inevitable misery.

Seconds later her phone rang, the shrill sound making her jump. Angrily, she picked it up, glaring at the caller ID, her face softening when she saw it was just Alice.

"Hi, Al."

"Hey, Bells, how are you feeling today?"

"A little better." Bella's stomach had settled somewhat since she had woken up.

"That's good. Jasper says if you're still not feeling well by tomorrow, you should really go see a doctor. He's offering his services if you want."

"No!" Bella's shrill voice surprised her, and she hurried to continue, not wanting to hurt Alice's feelings. "I don't want to cause any trouble. I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow. I really am feeling better now." Bella could sense Alice's skepticism on the other end of the line, and braced herself for a telling off, but instead, her friend changed track.

"Ok, well since you're feeling better, Bells..." Alice's voice was cautious. "Do you think you could give Edward a call now?" Bella gritted her teeth, opening her mouth to defend herself, but Alice ploughed on. "He feels like you're avoiding him, Bella. Jasper says he keeps asking how you are, saying you won't respond to any of his messages. Is that true?"

Bella pouted grumpily.

"He only sent me two," she muttered, but Alice could tell she was wearing Bella down.

"I know you think you made a fool of yourself, Bella, but don't write the guy off just yet."

"_Al-ice_," Bella whined, hating that her friend was playing to her weaknesses.

"I've got to run Bella, but Rose and I will drop over to see you again this evening," she said quickly, and Bella knew the conversation was over. She sighed.

"Bye, Al." The line went dead, and Bella threw the phone sulkily into the corner of the couch again.

**~o0o~**

A while later, after a little bit of lunch that to her surprise, she managed to keep down while still feeling relatively well – apart from a strangely bloated feeling – Bella decided to risk venturing to the grocery store as she was running low on pretty much everything. After wandering through the aisles, praying to god she didn't meet anyone she knew with her hair looking like that, she decided to go to the drugstore to look for something to help settle her stomach in case the nausea came back. Walking towards the middle of the store, a display of little blue boxes caught her eye. She glanced at them, counting backwards in her head and wondering idly if she should pick some of them up too. She frowned slightly and slowly began counting again. In all the excitement with Felix, and everything else that had been going on in her life, she had been a little distracted the last few weeks. She felt her heart start to beat quicker as she began counting a third time, more frantically now. Something wasn't adding up.

**~o0o~**

Alice and Rosalie stood outside Bella's apartment door, knocking loudly for the third time.

"What if she's lying unconscious on the floor?" said Alice, biting her lip, eyes frantic. Rosalie scoffed.

"Relax, Alice. She's probably just asleep, or else she's popped out for a bit. I'll try ringing her cell." She keyed in Bella's number and they waited, hearing a faint tinkling song coming from the other side of the door. Alice, impatient, knocked again.

"Bella?" she called loudly. "It's us!"

"It's open," called a faint, shaky voice from inside. They looked at each other worriedly, and Rosalie opened the door quickly, rushing inside, followed by Alice.

"Bella?"

They heard slow footsteps approaching from the bathroom, and the handle turned. Bella appeared from behind the door, eyes wide and mouth wobbly, face white as a sheet, with tears streaming down her cheeks, clutching a small white stick weakly.

"I'm pregnant."

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><p>Spanner, meet works...<p>

*runs away, head down, to hide under a boulder*

Um... Review...?


	14. Chapter 14

So... Yup. Poor Bella couldn't erase all memories of Felix _that _easily... :/

So here's the thing. Bella becoming pregnant is the _second_ reason (the first being the domestic violence elements) I spent the _entire _writing and editing process for this fanfic internally screaming "_Why _in the name of God did I choose to write about something I know _**NOTHING** _about?" The Golden Rule of writing, "write about what you know"? _I smashed that rule to smithereenes._ At _least _twice during the writing of this story. :L I'm smart like that. :D :L Google and I became BFFs while I wrote Learning to Live. :L

So yeah... Don't write about things you have no experience in, kids. You'll go nuts. :L (and mom, if you every randomly decide to look through my internet history... It was research, I swear! :L ).

**Anyway**, back to the issue at hand - Bella's going to need all our help to get through this...

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

Bella lay curled up on the couch, her chest heaving with sobs, while Alice stroked her hair gently, all three of them still in varying degrees of shock.

"Are you sure?" Rosalie had whispered when Bella first came out of the bathroom, but Bella had just nodded numbly as her voice cracked.

"This is the third test. They don't do false positives."

Alice, without saying a word, had simply run to Bella, engulfing her in her small arms, as Bella collapsed, almost squashing tiny Alice.

Now the three of them were huddled together, Bella lost in her own, suddenly drastically changed world. She whimpered into the couch cushions, wishing someone could tell her what to do.

"Shh," Alice soothed her gently, she herself still trying to come to terms with the revelation. Rosalie bit her lip nervously.

"Are you... going to have it?"

Bella sat up quickly, her shock momentarily cutting through her desolation, wrapping her arms protectively across her stomach.

"Of course!"

Rosalie looked down guiltily.

"I didn't mean..."

"I may viciously hate Felix more than I have ever hated anything on this planet before, Rose, but this... this..." Bella swallowed, unable to say the word "baby". "It did nothing wrong."

Rosalie nodded.

"I know... I was just asking..."

Alice squirmed uncomfortably.

"Bells... I know this is kind of a stupid question but... I thought you said you and Felix hadn't been... you know..."

Bella pulled up her knees and rested her head against them, burying her face.

"We weren't," she mumbled, "except for that last night..."

"Oh Bella," said Alice sadly, wrapping her arms around her friend and rocking her gently. She laid her head on Bella's shoulder. "I thought you would have used a condom..."

"Felix didn't like them," whispered Bella, squeezing her eyes shut as tears started to escape again. Alice continued rocking her, and soon Rosalie joined her from the other side, until Bella finally fell asleep.

**~o0o~**

Bella woke some time the next day back in own bed. She didn't bother to look at the clock. She lay there, numb, staring dumbly at the patterns the falling raindrops made on the other side of the drapes for what must have been hours, but time meant nothing to her right now. She stared, her legs curled up into her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her torso, not moving. She was pregnant. There was a tiny human being growing inside her right at that moment. She was going to be a mom...

**~o0o~**

The next time she opened her eyes, the room was darker. She must have dozed off. Her cell phone vibrated, the screen flashing and momentarily lighting up the room. She let it ring out, the vibration echoing dully in the empty room. The person didn't ring back. She was grateful. She wasn't sure her voice still worked.

**~o0o~**

Some time during the dead of night, Bella awoke to a sodden, tear-stained pillow. She had been dreaming of her mom. She hadn't seen her, but she had known she was there; could feel her next to her, holding her, stoking her hair as she cried. Her mother hadn't said anything in the dream, only comforted her, letting her know that even though she couldn't physically be with her daughter, she would always be there to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright. Bella wept bitterly into her pillow, letting her emotions pour out of her until there were no tears left, her body heaving with loud, dry sobs, until finally, eventually, she quietened. As the darkness gradually became greyer and then the first birds of the morning began to sing, Bella told herself she wasn't alone. She would never be alone. Not just the baby – she choked at the thought of the word as it flittered through her head – but Rose and Alice too. They would _always_ be there for her – they always had been. She had no idea how she was even going to _try_ and cope with everything that was coming in the suddenly-way-too-soon future, but she knew she wouldn't have to go through it on her own.

**~o0o~**

When Bella finally decided it was time to get out of bed, her eyes were red and raw, but thankfully dry. She stood up, and the horrible gurgling in her stomach made her sit quickly back down on her bed, but this time, the nausea managed to keep itself inside her stomach. She whimpered nervously at the feeling, but forced herself to get up and somehow keep going with the day. She padded into the kitchen, pulling her robe tightly around her as she shivered, and looked around, biting her lip. She hadn't had a chance to stock up the kitchen much, but beneath the morning sickness, she felt a strange, monstrous hunger raising its head and sniffing around. She supposed it had something do to with the fact that she had hardly eaten in days, but now she wasn't quite sure what she could keep down. She poked around the kitchen, and finding not much more than sliced bread realized her choice was rather limited, and popped a couple of slices in the toaster. While she waited for it to brown, she looked in the cupboard for some jelly. Opening up a pot, the sharp smell engulfed her nostrils, and her stomach churned. She slammed the lid back on and shoved the pot back into the cupboard, pursing her lips tightly together as she retreated far away from it and collapsing onto a chair, pulling her knees up and closing her eyes, breathing heavily. Plain toast it was, then.

She rocked herself slowly, wishing beyond all wishes that the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach would go away, but surprised and inherently grateful that the nausea wasn't as bad as it had been a few days ago and she hadn't actually gotten sick yet today. Then again, there probably wasn't anything left in her stomach to get rid of. When the toast was done, she put it on a plate and stared at it cautiously for a few minutes, her head still on her drawn-up knees. As the smell drifted slowly over to her her stomach growled loudly, her hunger overcoming her nausea, and she gladly tore off a piece of crust and popped it into her mouth, chewing nervously. Nothing happened. Relieved, she continued to eat, little bit by little bit, and was still pulling off pieces when she jumped with fright at the sound of her cell phone ringing back in her bedroom. Shuffling quickly back into her room, toast still in her hand, she reached for her phone, checking the caller ID. It was just Alice. She answered it quickly.

"Hello?" Her voice was hoarse from that night's crying.

"Hey Bells," said the voice on the other end, sounding anxious but deeply compassionate. "How are you doing? I called you last night, but I guessed you were probably asleep..."

Bella smiled sadly at her friend's concern.

"Hey Al," she croaked, and tried to clear her throat. "I'm... hanging in there."

She could almost feel Alice's sympathy oozing over the phone.

"How's the morning sickness? Any better?"

Bella considered that slowly as she finished the last piece of toast. Her nausea had subsided greatly, much to her surprise and immense relief.

"I think it's not as bad as it was. But ask me again tomorrow or even in a few hours..."

"Would you like Rose and I to come over?"

Bella bit her lip, shaking her head slowly.

"I don't want to be any trouble, Alice. Don't feel like you guys have to watch over me all the time..."

"Don't be stupid, Bella!" said Alice, sighing, her pitch rising in its usual fashion. "We want to make sure you're okay. We're your friends, and we care about you."

"Ok then," mumbled Bella demurely, grateful. "That would be nice..."

"See you in a minute!" replied Alice quickly, ending the call before Bella had the chance to say goodbye.

**~o0o~**

Alice and Rosalie stayed in Bella's apartment for most of the day, seeming relieved but wary that Bella seemed more together; though the shock of her pregnancy was still evident on all three of their faces. Bella could tell that Alice, though almost as stunned as Bella herself, was beginning to get excited inside about the idea of a pregnancy and a baby to plan for and be excited about – Bella's stomach began to churn again – but Bella tried not to notice, knowing she wouldn't be able to deal with that yet. At some point during the afternoon, Bella got another phone call from Edward, which sent her flinging the phone across the room and quivering on the couch. Alice and Rosalie didn't stop her, but Alice bit her lip nervously.

"You'll have to tell him some time, Bella," she said quietly. "This isn't exactly the kind of thing you can keep a secret..."

Bella laid her head on her knees, her face broken but her eyes mercifully remaining dry.

"I know, Al... But I've barely even come to terms with it myself..." Alice stroked her hand gently. "There's just no room in my head for Edward yet... I know he'll run a mile when he finds out. No guy would want to be friends with the single pregnant chick..." She felt tears threaten, but fought against them. Rosalie knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at her.

"We've seen the way that guy looks at you, Bella. And from what I've heard from you, he's not the kind of man who runs away when things get a little difficult."

Bella ignored her.

"And I'll have to tell Felix too..." she whispered, hiding her face and scrunching it up, still determined not to let herself cry over something he had caused again. She felt Alice and Rosalie tense up beside her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Bells?" Rosalie's brow wrinkled with worry, and anger at Felix and everything he'd done to her friend, but she tried to be gentle. "Felix is not the kind of person you want in this baby's life, and I highly doubt Felix wants a baby in his either. You don't know what he might do..."

Bella looked up, her face stricken with worry and determination.

"This is his..." She swallowed, and paused for a few seconds, taking a deep breath before continuing, forcing herself to say it. "This is his child too. He has a right to know. Who knows... maybe it will give his conscience a kick up the butt..." She forced a weak smile, trying to put a positive light on the situation, and Alice and Rosalie smiled too, willing to do anything to try and keep Bella's spirits up.

"So Bella," said Alice, changing the subject quickly, and Bella could sense her trying to reign in her little flits of excitement. "Have you booked a doctor's appointment yet? You really should go soon, just to make sure everything's ok. I could ask Jasper to have a look at you if you want; he's not an obstetrician but I'm sure he'd – "

"No!" gasped Bella, her head spinning round to look at Alice. She looked hurt.

"I was only trying to help, Bella..."

Bella put on an apologetic face.

"Sorry. I just... I don't even know if I'll go to a local doctor. It's such a small town... I know this isn't exactly something I can hide for long, but I just..." She bit her lip, and looked at Alice again. "Besides, it would be kind of... awkward... I mean, Jasper's your boyfriend..."

Alice giggled weakly.

"I guess I didn't think of that." She cocked her head to one side, looking at Bella. "But tell us when you're going, Bells. We want to be there for you. You know you won't have to do any of this alone."

Bella mumbled from behind her hair.

"I don't want to be – "

"Bella..." growled Rosalie in a warning voice.

Bella pouted.

"Fine. But I'm kicking you out during the physical."

**~o0o~**

Bella sat in her empty classroom the next Wednesday afternoon, twisting her cell phone nervously in her hands. Alice had texted her at lunch time, reminding her yet again that she needed to talk to Edward, and saying that Jasper told her Edward had been moping around, worrying, because Bella wouldn't answer any of his calls or texts and he was terrified he'd upset her in some way.

Bella herself had spent most of the week so far relatively numb. Each morning she had forced herself out of bed, stuffing her face with handfuls of dry crackers or toast – which were about the only things she could stomach at that time of the morning – before she had even properly woken up, discovering that the more frequently she ate, the less she felt the effects of the morning sickness – so far, she hadn't actually thrown up since Monday, although there had been some close calls, as it was difficult to snack inconspicuously in front of a class of inquisitive six-year-olds. Said inquisitive six-year-olds had, of course, been on her case about why she was no longer "smiley", and they weren't the only ones. A number of her co-workers had given her strange looks, wondering, no doubt, how she could have gone from so happy a week ago to barely existing now. But it was all Bella could do to cope.

Her doctor's appointment the previous afternoon had been... surprisingly anticlimactic. Dr Gerandy had asked Bella a few questions – after first insisting that Rosalie and Alice remain in the waiting room, much to their disgust and Bella's amusement – and taken urine and blood samples, before confirming the pregnancy. Bella had blushed furiously during the physical exam, but Dr Gerandy either hadn't noticed, or was very good at pretending. He told her that everything seemed perfectly fine, and that she would be due back in a few weeks. Bella herself still found it difficult to believe that this was all real and happening to her.

She looked down at the cell phone in her hand, her palms sweaty. Scolding herself, she quickly scrolled down to Edward's name and hit the "call" button, pressing the phone quickly to her ear and hoping he picked up before she had time to chicken out. He answered on the first ring.

"Bella?" His voice was a mixture of surprise and relief. "How are you? Are you ok? Alice wouldn't tell Jasper anything..."

Bella's heart pounded, and she felt her throat begin to close up at the thought of actually being worried about her.

"I'm..." She paused, suddenly unsure what she was going to say.

"Are you still sick?" Edward's voice had changed to worry.

"Well... not exactly..." Her voice sounded off, and she knew Edward would pick up on it.

"Did you see a doctor?"

"Yes..."

"Bella, please tell me what's going on." Edward's voice was tight. "You're starting to scare me."

Bella took a deep breath, but it faltered. She couldn't tell him this over the phone.

"Can I meet you in the parking lot after self defense this evening?"

His voice brightened considerably.

"You're coming to self defense?"

Bella bit her lip sadly.

"No... I won't be coming back to it again... I'm sorry..."

"Bella, what...?" Edward was getting frustrated.

"I'm sorry Edward." She hoped he could hear the sincerity in her voice. "I'll explain everything to you later..."

"Bella..."

She could almost picture him running his hand through his hair in frustration.

"See you later Edward."

She forced herself to hang up, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep the conversation going any longer. She collapsed onto her arms on her desk, her breathing shaky. Hearing Edward's voice again brought back the reality of the shock she was about to throw at him, and she wasn't sure she could do it. But she knew she owed him an explanation.

* * *

><p>Next chapter: It's time to tell Edward...<p>

For the reviews: what do you think of Bella's reaction to the fact that suddenly, she's going to be a mom?


	15. Chapter 15

**Helloooo...! :)** Sorry this chapter's a little bit later than I usually post them, I literally just finished a 3000 word essay for college 5 minutes ago... But on the bright side, now I'm _done _till January! :D

ANYWAY, attention any would-be editors: I'm currently waiting for my beta Robyn to get back to me with a couple final changes I made to next week's chapter, but she's been really busy lately so she's not sure if she'll get it back in time... SO, there's a POSSIBILITY I **might be looking for a new (temporary or permanent, I haven't decided) beta** during the week!

If you're interested (the pro's are you get to read Learning to Live before anyone else! :P), **follow me on Twitter (iSparkleToo)**. Don't ask me about it, but if it turns out I need an emergency proof reader/opinion-giver, I'll send out a tweet and you can reply me if you're interested. XD

Now, back to chapter 15!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

Bella sat on a picnic bench outside the high school, her legs crossed, biting her fingernails nervously. Her stomach churned, partly from a wave of morning sickness and partly from fear of what Edward's reaction to this was going to be. Part of her told herself she was being silly. Why did it matter what Edward cared? Why _would _Edward care? He had no part in any of this, except for being a very brief, not-yet-close friend of the girl whose life had just changed forever. He had no reason to care about any of this at all. But another part of her knew that as much as she tried to tell herself the opposite, from the moment they had first spoken she had been silently hoping Edward would be the one to replace the horrible Felix who had made her life hell. Now, there would never be a chance for that to happen.

She jumped, surprised and nervous, as the first group of women began to leave the school after the self defense class. She kept her head low, trying not to draw attention to herself, her heart thudding in scared anticipation. She hadn't laid eyes on Edward since the moment she almost threw up on him over a week before. A moment, her brain reminded her as she cringed with sadness, where she was pretty sure he was about to kiss her.

As the small crowd dispersed, she heard heavy footsteps behind her, but forced herself to keep her head down and not look up. She couldn't face him yet. She felt him walk around the picnic table to come face to face at her. He said nothing, waiting for her to look up and meet his gaze. When she did, the look of concern and confusion in his eyes almost broke her heart, and she immediately dropped her head again, staring at his shoes. He sat down quickly beside her, his hand going to her chin to tilt her head up once more.

"Bella..." His eyes searched her face, desperate for some explanation. She willed herself not to cry, his gentle hand on her skin almost causing her carefully composed expression to crack. "If I've done something to upset you... I swear, I only took you home that night because you were sick. I promise nothing happened, I would never take advantage of you."

Bella looked at him, and the earnestness in his face would have made her laugh in any other situation at the gross misunderstanding.

"It's not something you did. I know you would never harm me Edward."

"Then what's going on? Please Bella..." He stared at her, as if trying to see into her soul. Suddenly his expression changed. "You said you were at the doctor." She caught a flash of fear. "Is everything ok?"

"That depends on what you mean by ok," she whispered, afraid of her voice breaking, as she drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them in the gesture that had become so comforting to her lately.

"Bella." His voice was urgent now as he crouched down in front of her, tugging at the hands that clasped around her knees and trying to keep looking at her face as she hid it in her lap. "Please, Bella, tell me what's wrong."

She looked up at him, blinking through the watery eyes she tried to force away as she whispered her response.

"I found out why I was sick." He gazed at her imploringly, willing her to tell him everything was ok, when she knew she couldn't. She choked on a half-sob. "I'm pregnant."

Edward stiffened, his hands dropping to his sides and his jaw locking, his eyes glazing over. Bella, terrified by this unexpected reaction, could do nothing but continue staring at him helplessly. He stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on a spot somewhere to the side of her, refusing to meet her eye.

"I see." Bella didn't say a word. She continued to stare at him, as he turned towards his car, then, as if as an afterthought, turned partially back to Bella. "I should go. You obviously... have a lot going on in your life now. Since you aren't coming back to self defense, I suppose I won't be seeing you around." Bella's mouth opened slightly in shock, and she felt a single tear roll slowly down her cheek. She wanted to brush it away, her instincts shouting at her not to let this new person who had hurt her see how they had affected her, but she was frozen to the spot. No matter what she had said to Alice and Rosalie, a part of her had still believed that maybe Edward wouldn't let the fact that she was pregnant have an effect on their friendship at least. Obviously, she was sadly mistaken. "Goodbye, Bella." Edward turned his back to her and walked away, getting into his car and driving off without looking back.

**~o0o~**

Bella eventually willed herself to crawl back to her car, driving slowly through the drizzle and her pain until she somehow eventually ended up on the couch in her apartment. She started unseeingly into space, tensing herself against letting her emotions take hold of her. In her mind, she repeated over and over again that this was what she was expecting to happen; she was expecting Edward to want nothing more to do with her when he found out about the baby; so she had no reason whatsoever to be surprised or upset now. She gritted her teeth obstinately. She _would __not __cry_. Edward obviously had other priorities in his life and wanted nothing to do with a pathetic, alone, accidentally pregnant girl, and she would rather she knew this side of him and never saw him again, than have him stay her friend but be masking his obvious disgust. She _would __not __cry_.

She heard a low knock on the door. Swallowing the lump in her throat and hoping her voice didn't betray her, she called out woodenly.

"It's open."

Rosalie and Alice came into the living room, their expressions anticipant. Alice had obviously told Rose of Bella's activities for the evening.

"Did you tell him?"

Alice's eagerness grated on Bella's nerves.

"Yes," she said sharply, her mouth snapping shut straight after.

"And...?" Alice egged her on, seeming not to notice Bella's demeanor.

"And he wants nothing more to do with me Alice, just like I said he would!" Bella snapped at Alice, feeling her anger rip through her. The two women gaped at her in astonishment as she glowered, the pulsing anger immediately fading to a dull, painful throb as she sunk her head into a cushion, her bottom lip quivering.

Rosalie sat down beside her, her voice still showing her surprise at the revelation.

"I'm so sorry, Bella." She pulled a cushion onto her lap, pulling at its tassels. "We really though he'd support you. He seemed so genuine..."

Alice joined the girls on the couch, her eyebrows still pulled together in confusion, as Bella rolled over, pushing her face closer into the couch.

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled, her muffled voice breaking and deceiving her. "It's not like I expected him to stay around. This doesn't make a difference..." She trailed off, trying to keep her breathing calm and even.

Alice squeezed her shoulder.

"We all thought he'd take it in his stride Bella. It's ok to be upset."

"I'm not upset," mumbled Bella, her voice wavering as she fought once again to keep the tears away. As if to prove her wrong, a huge sob chose that moment to rip viciously through her body. Alice leant down, hugging her tightly, and Rosalie joined in from the other side.

"It's ok, Bella. Let it all out. We're here for you no matter what, always know that."

**~o0o~**

With a strange, disconcerting mixture of numbness, desperation and determination, Bella somehow made it through the rest of the week. On Saturday morning, after making it to the bathroom only just in time after a particularly uncomfortable night, Bella marched into Alice and Rosalie's apartment, a set look on her face as she surveyed them sitting at their kitchen table, Rosalie pouring coffee (at which Bella wrinkled her nose and swallowed carefully, her stomach still sensitive) and Alice meticulously spreading chocolate on a thick slice of toast.

"I'm telling Felix today."

Alice eyed her cautiously.

"Bella, are you sure? Maybe you should wait a while. All this stress can't be good for you..."

"I need to get it over and done with, Al, or it'll just keep pressing on my mind. Regardless of whether he cares or not –"

"– which he won't –," interjected Rosalie.

"– he deserves to know."

Alice sighed, laying her chocolatey knife down carefully on the side of her plate.

"I know you're going to regret this, Bella, but fine. But I'm coming with you."

Bella's face relaxed in relief.

"Thanks, Al." She turned to her other friend. "Rose, do you want to...?"

"Uh, no thanks, Bella," said Rosalie, grimacing. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to get within strangling distance of that guy any time within the next few hundred years. It's hard enough when I pass his door going to Emmett's. But when you get back, we're having a girls only party." She grinned, willing Bella to cheer up. "Extra chocolate, my shout."

Bella smiled weakly at her, appreciating the gesture.

"Thanks, Rose. I'll hold you to that one."

Rosalie winked and leaned back in her chair, swallowing her coffee appreciatively, while Alice danced out of the room to get dressed, her high-pitched voice muttering something nonsensical about "parties", "chocolate", and "any excuse".

**~o0o~**

Bella's legs shook as she slowly ascended the stairs of the apartment block where she had lived only weeks ago. The memories now brought little tremors of fear to her, which she fought to keep under control. She couldn't let Felix see her weak.

No matter how much Alice had pouted, fought, and protested, Bella had made her promise to wait in the car, saying this was something she needed to do by herself. Now, actually standing outside Felix's apartment, she wasn't sure she'd done the right thing. Timidly, she knocked lightly on the heavy wooden door. There was no answer, but she thought she heard a small noise coming from inside. Biting her lip, she knocked again, louder, immediately retracting her hand and wrapping her arms around her stomach, protectively, unconsciously. She couldn't chicken out. She had to do this.

Finally, the door was wrenched open, and Felix stood there, his hair tousled and his shirt buttons done up wrong. On realizing who his visitor was, his face broke into an evil grin.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Perfect little Isabella Swan, come groveling back."

The look in his eyes made Bella actively restrain herself from shuddering. She refused to let Felix have the satisfaction of knowing the effect he had on her. She gritted her teeth.

"I'm not here to grovel, Felix," she said, her voice small despite her attempts to make herself seem assertive and independent. She cursed her fear, but continued on determinedly. "I'm just here to let you know, on the off-chance that you might actually care, that I'm pregnant." She glared at Felix as her voice rose on the last word, a sudden strength in her eyes, and saw the subtle change in his expression, the flicker of fear and astonishment in his mocking gaze. He quickly recovered himself.

"Should have known you'd go and get yourself knocked up as soon as you left me," he sneered, his face now full of disgust. "But what's that got to do with me? Why would I care if you're too stupid to think about what you're doing?"

Bella kept her face straight, trying her best to ignore the pain that shot through her at his words.

"Felix, the baby's yours. You're the father." The strength in her voice at these words surprised her. It was as if the tiny person inside her already shared her hatred of its father for everything he had done to Bella, and was just as determined to keep him out of their lives, giving her the strength she needed to stand up to him. For the first time since learning her life was going to chance irreversibly, Bella finally felt like she was accepting her future. She glared at Felix, as he rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Don't blame me for your mistakes, Bella. You're not going to guilt me into caring for the spawn of some drunken hobo you picked up off the street." He laughed cruelly as he saw the flicker of hurt in her eyes at his stubborn refusal to accept the existence of his unborn child, and Bella tensed herself, telling herself not to let the sting get to her. Just then, a dreamy voice wafted around the corner and into the hall, followed by a tall, tanned, willowy woman, holding a white bed sheet loosely around her obviously naked form.

"Felix, what's going on?"

Bella immediately recognized the figure of Heidi, Felix's secretary, whom she had met once or twice many months ago at a few of his office functions. Somehow, she couldn't find it in her already crowded and preoccupied mind to be surprised. Deep down, she had known Felix's job hadn't called for as many weekend meetings as he had claimed while they were together, but at the time, she had stopped herself from thinking about it for too long.

Felix, looking less uncomfortable than he should have been, called lightly over his shoulder.

"Go back to bed, babe. I'll be back in in a minute. Bella was just leaving." He glared at Bella at the last sentence, willing her to leave him with his own version of a happily ever after. She took her time, deliberating. As much as a large part of her wanted to shout out loud that Felix was having an abandoned, unclaimed child with the woman he had spent a year beating to a pulp, an even bigger part was still scared of him, knowing what he could do and terrified of what would happen if she did, not just to her anymore, but to her unborn child as well.

"Goodbye, Felix," she said softly, vowing to herself she would never speak that name or see that face again as long as she lived. "Goodbye, Heidi," she said more loudly, daringly, as she turned away quickly while Felix ground his teeth. Seemingly without her mind even controlling them, her feet pattered lightly down the stairs, hurrying to get out of the place that had caused her so much pain, but that she would never, _ever_ find an excuse to enter again.

* * *

><p>*gulp*<p>

Don't hate Edward!

He has an explanation, I swear...!


	16. Chapter 16

First of all, I want to apologize to the people whose reviews I didn't get to this week - being off college has sent my internal calendar into hibernation, so I honestly have no idea what day of the week I'm on anymore - I almost forgot to upload this chapter tonight! :L

Also, you may remember me mentioning a while back that this story is going to be jumping ahead a bit sometimes, skipping a few weeks between chapters and stuff sometimes. To stop confusion, I'm going to add the number of weeks pregnant Bella is along with the chapter number at the start, so you all know whereabouts we are along the timeline. :)

Finally, please do make sure to read the AN at the bottom as I have an important note to add!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16 ~ 7 weeks<strong>

Alice took one look at Bella's face as she climbed into the car, and turned around fully to face her, shutting off the engine and giving her her full attention.

"Well?" she asked, raising one eyebrow, but without much hope in her face.

Bella blew a breath out forcefully between her lips.

"He's decided to pretend he doesn't think it's his."

"Oh Bella..." Alice put on a sympathetic face, but Bella held up her hands to stop her.

"Whatever. I don't want him to have any part in my life anymore. He just needed to know." She set her face bravely, and Alice smiled sympathetically. "Besides," continued Bella, "he's far too busy to concentrate on much other than his slut of a secretary who's waiting for him in his bedroom." She grimaced somewhat, but Alice could tell that really, she didn't care. Bella's brain was whirling with way too much information at the moment to be in any way concerned about Felix's extra-curricular activities. She looked at Alice, trying to make her smile seem genuine. "Let's go home."

**~o0o~**

Bella slumped on the couch in Alice and Rosalie's apartment, groaning as Rosalie tried to force another piece of chocolate cake on her. She knew she was going to regret this in a few hours when her usual evening bout of morning sickness kicked in. Rosalie's version of a girls only, "anti-douchebag party" included copious amounts of chocolate cake and an endless supply of lemonade – her substitute for champagne – at a ridiculously early hour of the afternoon. Bella groaned again and rested a hand on her stomach, which was feeling bloated enough these days as it was, and watched in amazement as Alice demolished yet another slice of cake. That girl had hollow legs.

Suddenly, the buzzer sounded. All three girls looked at each other in confusion. They virtually _never _got unexpected visitors to the apartment; Emmett and Jasper both had keys simply for convenience's sake, and anyone else who paid a visit had always arranged it in advance. Rosalie walked slowly over to the small box by the door, and spoke cautiously into the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Rosalie?" The muffled, crackly voice that travelled up from the street below caused Bella's eyes to widen and her face to pale. She started to wonder if maybe the chocolate cake wouldn't stay in her stomach as long as she'd thought.

"What do you want, Edward?" muttered Rosalie through gritted teeth, and Bella could sense she was trying very hard to restrain herself from going straight downstairs and bashing Edward's head off the wall. Rosalie's wiry frame was deceptively strong, and Bella wasn't entirely sure she could stop her. Or even that she wanted to.

"Is Bella there?" came the muffled voice, and Bella's breath caught in her throat. She had been trying to deal with Edward's reaction to the revelation of her pregnancy and get on with her life; she couldn't bear to see him now. She shook her head wildly when Rose glanced questioningly in her direction.

"No. I think you should leave." Rosalie's voice was strict and to the point, but Edward persisted.

"Do you know where she is? She's not answering her own buzzer."

Rosalie ground her teeth loudly, and Bella was sure the sound probably carried over the intercom.

"I think that's a hint, Edward. Bella doesn't want to talk to you. You need to leave now."

Crashing waves of conflicting emotions were coursing through Bella. Why was Edward here? Why did he want to see her? Did _she_want to see _him_? She did know if she could cope with more hurt and letdown this week. She felt herself zone out as Rosalie argued with Edward, her inner turmoil confusing her. She had thought she was managing ok, getting on with her life, despite that anger that coursed through her. She hated Felix for ruining her life, and she hated Edward for messing things up as well. So why was she so confused now, with him down on the street, begging to see her? And why was he begging to see her at all, after what he had said and done – and not said and done – a few days ago?

She looked up when Rosalie suddenly grabbed the door handle and stormed out, muttering obscenities about disrupting other peoples' peace and not knowing when to let well enough alone, and Bella, still confused, found herself now hoping that Rosalie _did_manage to keep her temper in check. She glanced at Alice, a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, Bells." Alice was calm, sure that everything would go back to normal in just a few minutes, as soon as Rosalie had convinced Edward to leave.

**~o0o~**

The minutes went by, with still no sign of Rosalie returning to the apartment. Alice's calm composure was starting to break just a tiny little bit.

"You don't think he'd...?" she mused quietly, quickly shaking her head. "No. He's not that kind of person. And Rosalie's well able to defend herself..."

Bella's eyes widened, but she didn't put too much pass on it. Alice was right, on both counts. Then again, they had all thought Edward wasn't the kind of person to run away in disgust when she told him she was pregnant...

Eventually, they heard footsteps on the stairs, and Alice breathed an audible sigh of relief which quickly reversed itself into a gasp as not one, but two people appeared in the doorway. Rosalie had a strange look on her face, somewhere between a scowl and a grimace of disbelief, combined with a rather large amount of annoyance.

"Bella, Edward wants to talk to you. He says it's important, and that you should ignore _everything _that happened on Wednesday evening." She rolled her eyes, and didn't seem bothered or surprised when Alice complained.

"Rosalie, I can't believe you brought that _creature_ up here and expected Bella to listen to anything he has to say! What the hell were you thinking?"

Rosalie shrugged.

"He didn't exactly give me an option when he started barging up the stairs ahead of me. I figured he'd accept it when Bella herself told him to piss off." They all looked at Bella expectantly, waiting for her answer. She bit her lip, honestly unsure of what she wanted. Edward had hurt her emotionally almost more than even Felix had ever hurt her physically, and she had put up a wall within herself; and she knew that listening to him would break down that wall and tear everything right back open again. But why was Edward here? Why was he being so obstinate about getting his say in, after everything that had happened? She didn't think it was like him. Usually, he seemed to just accept something and get over it. Then again, Wednesday evening hadn't been like him either. Even in the few short weeks she had known him, Bella would never had picked Edward as the type of person to react to _any _kind of news like that, no matter how surprising or awful it was. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"We can talk in my apartment."

Afraid to meet Alice and Rosalie's disapproving gazes, she kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked briskly out the door, trying to ignore Edward as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his face, his expression a strange mixture of hopeful, relieved, nervous, and apologetic. She locked her jaw, continuing to her own apartment, and closed the door sharply as soon as Edward had entered behind her. She spun around to face him, hands on her hips, finding enough anger in the messy and convoluted maze that currently occupied her mind to glare at him.

"Speak."

He tried to take hold of her hands but she whipped them away from him, folding her arms and still glaring at him. He took a deep breath, and seemed to be forcing himself to look into her eyes. She made herself hold his gaze.

"Bella, words can't even begin to describe how sorry I am for how I acted a few days ago."

She said nothing, still looking at him angrily. He pressed on.

"That was so inherently wrong of me, and so out of character. It's not how I was raised to behave, and I feel so ashamed. There are no reasons good enough to excuse how I behaved."

She began to tap her foot impatiently. She _knew_ it wasn't like him. She _knew_ it was bad. And?

"I know nothing can excuse it. I'll understand if you never want to see me again. But if you'll give me the chance, I want to explain why I reacted like that to the news that..." He swallowed, and Bella was confused by the strange look in his eye. "The news that you're going to have a baby." Her breath caught in her throat, like it did every time words like those were uttered. Getting used to thinking of herself as a soon-to-be mother was a very, very slow and gradual process. Edward sensed her hesitation, and used the opportunity lead her gently to the couch. She tensed under his grip, not wanting to be touched. He sat down beside her and turned to face her.

"Bella, I want to tell you about my family."

She stared at him, confused, not knowing where this was going. Still she said nothing.

"I'm adopted." She felt her mouth form into a small round "o" of surprise, but he continued. "I was brought up by my adoptive parents, Carlisle and Esme. I've been with them since I was 6 months old, and they couldn't have been better to me or my three adopted sisters, Kate, Carmen and Tanya. We all were, and continue to be, incredibly blessed by mom and dad's love and provision." He paused, looking into Bella's eyes to make sure she was listening. She still didn't understand what any of this had to do with why Edward had reacted so coldly to her a few days ago. "I met my birth mother only once, when I was seventeen. She wanted nothing to do with me; she seemed embarrassed and annoyed by my very existence. I was the unplanned pregnancy, Bella. I was the unwanted, unexpected hassle of a child, created by the ex-boyfriend she never wanted to be reminded of again, falling into her world and messing it up in the prime of her life. She barely even brought me as far as the orphanage, throwing me into the caretaker's hands wrapped in only a thin blanket as soon as she convinced the doctors at the hospital where she gave birth to let her go, reluctantly initialing some papers at the orphanage just so they would let her leave and get on with her own life as quickly as possible. She hated me Bella. I could see it in her face, and she wasn't shy about saying it either, although not quite in so many words. I had ruined her life; she had always had this horrible secret to keep, a reminder of that boyfriend, a blip in her otherwise happy and successful life that would never go away no matter how hard she wished. She despised me for my very existence, and that cut me up inside more than anyone could possibly imagine. I love Carlisle and Esme, but here was the first, the _only_ person whose DNA I actually shared, who had carried me for nine months and then given birth to me, and she hated my guts."

He stopped, looking imploringly at Bella, his face awash with emotion and his breathing heavy. Slowly, she felt the gears begin to turn in her head.

"You thought..." she whispered. "You thought... that I would... that I _could_... You thought that I...?" She shook her head, the entire concept baffling her. "Edward... You had a _horrible _experience. I'm not going to pretend I don't realize how that must have made you feel, but... Regardless of how this baby came about, regardless of the effect it's going to have on my life... I _can__'__t _not love it with my entire heart." She wrapped her arms around her midriff protectively, the truth of the statement resonating fully within her for the first time as she looked up at Edward in confusion. "I know we've only know each other a few short weeks, but how could you even _think _I could treat a child the way your mother treated you?" Edward began to speak, but she cut him off. "If I felt like I couldn't provide for my... my child, I would do everything in my power to make sure it could have the wonderful life you've had with your adoptive parents. But..." She felt tears prickle threateningly behind her eyes, and she swallowed. "I'm going to make this work. I... I could never abandon something that was a part of me like this..."

Edward dropped his head forlornly as she trailed off, and took a deep, slightly unsteady breath.

"I didn't think, Bella. It was like a reflex action. You were upset, and then you told me you were pregnant, and before my brain could even begin to process the information, it was like something shut it off and my instincts screamed at me with the only experience I had. As soon as I got home and cooled off a little I realized how judgmental and presumptuous I had been, but then... I was terrified I had ruined our friendship..."

He looked up at her, the hint of hopefulness in his eyes almost completely masked by apology and sadness. She bit her lip, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Edward... The way you acted... It really hurt me." She took a slow, steady breath. "I don't know if... I mean, if you can even accidentally think those things about me..."

"Bella, I _know_ you could never be that person," he cut in, trying desperately to make her look at him again. "I was so, so wrong to treat you like that; it's something I can never take back, and I hate myself so much for hurting you. I'm willing to do _anything_, whatever it takes, to make it up to you." He reached out, gently pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her breathing shuddered and she clenched her jaw, not able to process any more emotions. "You don't have to do this alone."

"I'm not alone," she mumbled. "I have Rose, and Alice..."

He cocked his head sideways, surveying her, as she finally looked up at him again.

"You can have a friend in me, too, Bella... if you want." She bit her lip, and he went on. "You'll need all the friends you can get." Her brow wrinkled, still unsure if she could forgive Edward for causing her so much heartache. "I want to support you through this, Bella."

His face seemed determined now, and Bella was once again baffled by this man's strange actions towards her. She sighed, and felt herself folding slowly into his side, allowing his arm to rest carefully around her. She had to trust him. She didn't quite know if she understood why, but she felt like she couldn't be without him in her life.

* * *

><p>So... What do you think of Edward's explanation? Was his reaction excusable, or should Bella be more wary about forgiving him right away...?<p>

**Please read:** This chapter has been the subject of many rewrites and discussions between me and my beta. I want to make it clear that I am **not **trying to insinuate that adoption is "wrong and/or terrible" in this chapter. Edward had an unfortunate, horrible experience with his birth mother; but that's all it was: unfortunate, **not **"typical". It is Bella's own prerogative that she does not want to give her child up for adoption, I am in no way trying to dictate what is right or wrong in this situation. Please do not be offended by opinions given in this story; they belong to the fictional characters and in no way assume to be correct or incorrect.

:)

Finally, chapter 17 is going up next **FRIDAY December 23rd! **Think of it as an early Christmas present. :) :P Because 1) Eh, I'm _not _posting on Christmas day (Sunday), and 2) I'm not going to have internet Christmas weekend anyway. :) :L

See you soon(er than usual!)! :D


	17. Chapter 17

For those of you who didn't read the AN last week and weren't expecting this chapter till Sunday, SURPRISE! :D

This chapter's a bit of a filler really, but it does set the foundations for some important things to come. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 17 ~ 9 weeks<strong>

A week later, Bella pushed her heavy cart slowly through the grocery store, eyeing the various special offers. Her refrigerator was virtually empty, and now that she was eating for two – well, one-and-a-little-bit, she constantly reminded herself every time she reached for second helpings – she figured it was probably time to go shopping properly. Suddenly, a row of green jars caught her eye. Without really concentrating, she picked one up, glancing at the label and licking her lips absentmindedly, then pulled a face. She _hated _pickles. She would normally rather chew her own face off than eat pickles, but suddenly she was hit with an inexplicably strong urge to rip off the lid of the jar and stuff the pickles into her mouth. She groaned as the realization hit her, and picked up a few more jars from the shelf, placing them unenthusiastically into her cart. _Why_, for the love of God, _why_ did she have to be craving pickles?

Rounding the corner in a daydream, she almost ran into Jasper as he emerged from the breakfast aisle clutching a box of Alice's favorite chocolate-covered kids' cereal. He nodded at her, grinning.

"Well hello there, Bella. Long time no see. I do believe some congratulations are in order." He smiled, a twinkle of humor in his eye. "You know, I was kidding when I said you couldn't come back to the hospital unless you were giving birth."

She grinned at him.

"Hey, I had to have an excuse to come visit everybody again, right?"

He laughed, but gathered his straight face again quickly.

"Seriously, though, Bella. How are you doing?"

She sighed.

"I'm doing... ok, I guess. It's a lot to take in, especially after everything else that's happened... But I'm determined to make the best of it and not let it get me down any more. Everybody's being so great..." She smiled ruefully. When Emmett had found out, he had grabbed her up in a huge hug and spun her round. She had been a little embarrassed and uncomfortable because regardless of his and Rosalie's relationship, she still hadn't known Emmett that long; but she appreciated the sentiment when he told her he already thought of her like a little sister and that he wanted her to be happy. That said, she still hurriedly declined his offer to "beat the shit out of" Felix the next time he happened to be passing. She didn't want to have anything to do with that excuse for a man again.

"Except for Edward's temporary lobotomy," muttered Jasper, rolling his eyes, bringing Bella back to the present. She shrugged.

"We're past that now. Everything's positive, remember." She gave him an exaggerated, cheesy grin, and he laughed again, shaking his head.

"Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that guy's mind. Growing up with all those women... it can't be healthy for a person."

Bella joined in with Jasper's laughter, determined to keep things light, and they parted ways as each continued with their shopping.

**~o0o~**

Bella pulled the heavy cart up to the trunk of her car, grasping the flimsy handles of the first bag and straining to lift it. A sudden voice just behind her made her jump automatically and drop it, and be thankful she hadn't actually managed to lift it more than an inch.

"Damn, Bella, how many _are _you eating for?"

She spun around, glaring at Edward's laughing face.

"More than you anyway, that's for sure!" He laughed harder. "Are you just going to stand there all day, or are you actually going to help me?"

He tried to pull a straight face, and succeeded in only _mostly_ stopping the corners of his mouth from twitching, reaching under her arm to grab the bag she had just given up on lifting. Her breath hitched as his chest came full flush with her back, and he quickly straightened up and away from her, as if in response, carefully placing the bag into the trunk of her car. He moved to her side, to better reach the rest of her bags, and continued putting them into the car, suddenly beginning to ask her questions nineteen to the dozen.

"How are you feeling, anyway, Bella? Is your morning sickness still bad? Do you feel bloated? When's your next doctor's appointment? Is Rosalie or Alice going with you? How is work going? It's not too strenuous, is it?"

Bella rolled her eyes, trying to fight the feeling that something was off about Edward's behaviour. He seemed to be – not _distancing _himself from her exactly, but that's a bit what it felt like. He had never seemed to be this formal with her before.

"I'm not an invalid _yet_, Edward. I think I can manage a class of six year olds." She snorted. "I guess you could call it good practice or something." He pouted, opening his mouth as if he was going to say something, but Bella ploughed on, knowing he was just going to complain that he was only looking out for her. "As for your other questions, my next doctor's appointment isn't for another few weeks yet; yes, I'm sure Alice or Rosalie, or most likely both, will insist on coming with me; yes, I feel bloated, although it's not quite as bad as it was; yes, the morning sickness still sucks, but I'm trying to deal with it as best I can; in general, I feel pretty tired sometimes, and, if you really must know, I'm peeing about every five minutes." She stopped, glaring at him, but with a little twinkle of amusement in her eye. "Is that everything, Mr high-and-mighty all-knowing overnight connoisseur of pregnant women's health?"

Edward chortled, deciding, to her vague disappointment, not to rise to the bait. He straightened up, having packed the last of her over-laden shopping bags into her car and slammed the trunk shut, and looked distractedly into the distance, running his hand through his messy bronze hair.

"I guess I should be going. I've got an interview over at the senior citizens' centre in 20 minutes." Bella raised an eyebrow, trying not to smirk. He pulled a face. "Don't laugh. They're looking for someone to start up some "gentle exercise" classes there to "help keep the joints mobile". At this point, all I care about is that it could be a paying job."

Bella couldn't help giggling at the look on his face, but she tried to sober up.

"Are the self defense classes not working out?" Edward was teaching self defense three evenings a week to people of varying age ranges and abilities, but Bella knew it was unlikely that those alone would cover living costs even in this small town.

"They're still going ok, but they're not really enough to get by on." He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. Bella cocked her head to one side and frowned.

"Surely there's something more exciting you could be doing than trying to convince cranky old women to get out of their chairs for half an hour, though, right?" She paused momentarily, musing. "Actually, now that I think of it – I know you and Jasper went to college together, but..." She giggled. "What did you actually _do _there, Edward? I can't believe I've never asked you that!"

He smirked.

"I'm actually a qualified gym teacher, Bella. But I spent so long going to so many schools practically _begging _for jobs that just didn't exist, that I eventually just gave up and decide to freelance as whatever people were looking for."

Bella eyes widened in surprise and she laughed once.

"I can't believe I never knew that about you, Edward!"

He shrugged awkwardly.

"Well, like I said, it never really worked out. But hey," he said, putting on a goofy face, "don't worry about me – the golden oldies and I will have a great time!"

At this Bella had to laugh, and Edward joined in briefly, the carefree twinkle back in his eye for just a moment. She squinted at him through the weak spring sunshine as he glanced at his watch again, and she knew he had to get going.

"I'll see you soon, then?"

Edward grinned at her, nodding and winking.

"You can't get rid of me this easily!"

**~o0o~**

Bella pulled slowly out of the grocery store parking lot, her mind caught up in how Edward had been behaving so cautiously around her. She had bumped into him once since the night he had apologized, and to be honest, it had been much of the same. It was as if he was... almost scared to touch her, or to look her in the eye for more than a few seconds. She didn't understand it. No matter what other doubts she had in her life, no matter how many times she had been wrong about other things, she had known, in that intuitive way only a woman could know, that he had been about to kiss her that night at the club. And now... it was as if he couldn't stand to be too close to her. It didn't seem to make any sense.

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel as a thought occurred to her. Obviously, this pregnancy was going to change more than just her social life – it was certainly going to change the way she looked rather dramatically too. She hadn't picked Edward for the shallow type, but she had been wrong about him before. He was probably repulsed by the idea of her growing huger and huger, stretch marks all over her body, swollen ankles, saggy breasts, the whole lot. Hell, who _wouldn't _be repulsed by that? Bella, having always known she wanted to have children at _some _point in her life – although never imagining it would be happening like this – had accepted that these changes would happen, and was trying her best to reassure herself that they didn't bother her, but for Edward to almost avoid her because he couldn't bear to know he would eventually have to look at her like that... She shook her head slowly. That must have been why he asked if she was feeling bloated. He could see her getting uglier and fatter and _pregnanter_ even already. She couldn't find it in herself to blame him. _She_ wouldn't want to cuddle her in a few months time either. It wasn't like he didn't want to be near her... He just no longer _wanted _her like Bella had eventually been sure he did before he knew about the baby. That was understandable. She couldn't hold that against him. She just had to accept his friendship for what it was – friendship; nothing more.

She scrunched up her face, forcing her brain to change the subject and not dwell on things that would confuse and upset her already whirling mind – things that most certainly _would_ hurt her if she spent too long thinking about them. Edward only wanted to be her friend. That was all. She was lucky. Edward was a friend.

**~o0o~**

Bella breezed into the staff room at work a few days later, her face appearing happy; but those who looked close enough could tell, underneath many, many layers of carefully crafted pretence, it was still a bit of a struggle. But she put on a very convincing show; convincing even herself most of the time.

She took a seat by the window, browsing through the newspaper that had been left laying there without much interest. Unintentionally, she found herself eavesdropping on the conversation next to her, where the principal and the fifth grade teacher were discussing the older children's current and worrying lack of physical activity.

"I've seen them just sitting around at recess, doing nothing but chatting away to themselves," complained the teacher, an older woman by the name of Elaine Berty with whom Bella was often quite friendly. "They don't want to run around or play tag, and the gym teachers say they virtually refuse to cooperate in the games they arrange for them, complaining they feel like kindergartners having to throw a ball around like babies. I would ordinarily let them at it, but with these stories of rising levels of obesity all over the news these days, quite frankly, I'm scared of an epidemic!"

The principal, Mr Tom Banner, smothered his good-natured laugh at Elaine's slight exaggeration with a cough, but realized he should be taking her seriously.

"It's a long call, but I wonder if they wouldn't behave better for someone coming in from outside the school, just especially for the older grades," he mused, scratching his head. "I wouldn't be opposed to looking around for someone suitable; maybe they could teach them something the children would feel was 'sophisticated' enough for them. I hear a lot of children are quite into martial arts these days, although I don't know if I want something that violent in the school. Perhaps something that could meet them halfway?"

"Well that's a good suggestion Tom," agreed Elaine somewhat doubtfully, although Bella was sure from the look in her eyes that she didn't really know what martial arts were. "But where on earth would we find someone who could teach something as exotic as that in this small town?"

As she spoke, Bella felt like a lightbulb went off in her head – she had always scoffed when people described something as a "lightbulb moment", but that was exactly how it felt. Without even thinking about what she was doing, she leant across to Tom and Elaine, her eyes shining with an excitement even she found out of character.

"Strange as it may seem, Elaine," she said brightly, deciding not to notice the surprised look she got from the two teachers when she suddenly entered their conversation, "I think I might know _just _the person." Elaine and Tom raised their eyebrows in surprise. They would never say it out loud, but they had always been under the impression that Bella Swan was a rather shy, introverted person, who didn't have many friends other than the two young women she was always seen in the company of, and that awful ex-boyfriend of hers who, to the relief of many of the staff members, had never actually managed to make it to one of the Christmas parties.

"Well, Bella, do tell us more," enthused Tom, smoothening over his mild surprise.

"His name is Edward Cullen," said Bella, a little nervous now, suddenly unsure how Edward would feel about her offering his services like this – though, she reminded herself, he had _wanted_ to be a gym teacher, and had seemed genuinely disappointed that he had felt he had to give up this life plan. "He moved here a couple months ago and he's been giving self defense classes in the high school a few evenings a week, but I know he's currently looking for additional work. And incidentally, he happens to be a certified gym teacher as well!" She felt a flicker of a smile on her lips; more confident now, realizing that no matter what he joked, Edward would relish the idea of dealing with pre-teens rather than the elderly. "I believe he also has quite a bit of knowledge about martial arts, and I've heard countless times there's nothing violent about it." That last part wasn't entirely a lie. Edward _did _know about martial arts, but Bella still felt uncomfortable about what she felt was its semi-violent nature. Still, if it finally landed Edward a job he actually wanted...

Tom seemed to buy it either way. He smiled encouragingly at Bella.

"Well, that's absolutely something positive to consider. I can take this Mr Cullen's number, and I'll certainly give him a call."

Bella grinned and quickly scribbled Edward's number on a scrap of paper for Tom, before promptly excusing herself and heading back to her empty classroom. She couldn't wait to tell Edward about his possible "golden oldies" alternative.

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><p>Reviews make Edward not "scared to touch" Bella. ;)<p>

Back to normal Sunday uploading starting with chapter 18 next Sunday (January 1st! :O).

Hope everyone who's celebrating has a brilliant & safe Christmas, and see you all in the New Year! :D


	18. Chapter 18

*Hangs head in shame...*  
>I'm <strong>SO <strong>sorry this chapter is a day late! :( But I go back to college this week so hopefully that will mean I stop forgetting what day of the week it is... :/ And in future if I forget/I'm running late, bug me on Twitter till I upload it! :P (iSparkleToo)

To make up for it, this chapter is the _longest _chapter yet... by quite a bit! :D

(Please see the A/N at the bottom.)

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 ~ 9 weeks<strong>

Bella hung up the phone, a satisfied smile on her face; a genuine one this time. She had been a little worried that Edward would be upset about her giving his number to someone who was, as far as he was concerned, a complete stranger; but although he had laughed at first, surprised she was calling him and thinking she was joking, once he realized she was serious he couldn't thank her enough.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Bella," he had joked after telling her he had decided not to go forward with the job in the senior citizens' centre – "It's just too depressing down there, I don't think I could cope with it on a daily basis" – making her even more glad she had tried to set up this opportunity for him. "If I get this job – and that's a _big "_if" – we're probably going to end up seeing a whole lot more of each other!"

Bella smirked.

"I guess that's the price I'll have to pay, for the good of the children!"

He had laughed with her, and had agreed to let her know as soon as he heard from the principal, reminding her that Tom didn't know a thing about him or what he did, so it was likely to be a long process with no guaranteed result.

**~o0o~**

A few nights later Bella was lazing on the couch in her apartment, absentmindedly sucking on pickles as she ate them straight out of the jar. Suddenly, her buzzer sounded. Surprised, she walked over to the speaker by the door, pressing the button and talking into the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella, it's Edward. Can I come up?"

"Sure thing, Edward." She buzzed him in, pleasantly surprised. She wasn't expecting him, but she was glad for the company. Rosalie was working late, getting some private clients ready for a function, and Alice had had to go to Seattle for the week to deal with the launch of a large important project. She unlocked her door and settled back onto the couch, flipping absentmindedly through the magazine she was reading until she heard footsteps approaching the door, and then Edward knocked.

"It's open."

He wandered in, closing the door behind him, with a strange looking collection of books and fat magazines under his arm. Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Doing some light reading?"

He laughed.

"Not me, you." Bella's eyebrow rose higher. "Alice dropped these off at Jasper's on her way out of town this morning. She said they had only just occurred to her, but that it was very important you read them all cover to cover before she gets back." He snorted. "Jasper had to work, so I said I'd bring them over." He dropped the pile of books beside him as he sat onto the couch next to Bella. The first book that tumbled towards her, the thickest one, which had been sitting on top of the pile, shouted up at her in loud, bold lettering. _What to Expect When You're Expecting._ She let out a snort of laughter. That was so _typically_ Alice.

Grinning at Edward, she quickly picked up the book and flicked through it, turning rapidly to a page near the back.

"Today your baby is 20 inches longs and weighs over 7 pounds. She has hair, teeth, and can probably already speak. If you were able to read minds, you would certainly be hearing her thoughts. And you will likely be suffering from severe indigestion due to excessive pickle consumption."

Edward blinked stupidly for a moment before suddenly roaring with laughter, while Bella watched, amused. Despite that fact that he had come bearing baby books, she enjoyed having his company.

"Do you want to watch a DVD or something?" she asked suddenly, wanting the company a bit longer. He looked at his watch, and she bit her lip. "Unless you have someplace you have to be..."

He smiled at her.

"No, I can stay for a while."

She chose a generic comedy and settled back with him to watch it, moving the books and magazines to the coffee table and curling up next to him. He stiffened ever so slightly, and a pang of heartache went through her, despite her constant insistence to herself that she was going to be ok with being his friend and nothing more. Was this not even ok? After a minute, he got up, saying he would make some popcorn. She paused the DVD until he sat back down, all-too-casually putting the bowl of popcorn in between them. She sighed, trying to keep the hurt and disappointment from her face, and curled up back into her own corner of the couch. So this was how it was going to be.

**~o0o~**

Bella sat hunched over the small desk she had set up in the corner of her living room, reaching up blindly to adjust the flexible lamp to better highlight the lesson plan she was currently working on. Next week, the children were going to learn a little bit about climate change, and Bella was vaguely wondering how difficult it would be to get copious amounts of blue and green tissue paper and twenty stuffed polar bears.

A shrill ringing interrupted her silent contemplation and she jumped a little, her heart thudding slightly from surprise at the loudness of the new cordless phone she had installed a few days ago. She quickly answered it, wondering who it could be as she hadn't really given her new landline number to many people yet.

"Hello?"

"Bella?"

"Oh, hi Tom." Bella's eyes widened in surprise at the sound of the school principal's voice. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to be calling you at home like this," he began, his voice strange and crackly over the phone, "but I'm all out of ideas. That friend you recommended to me, Edward Cullen –" Bella suddenly perked up and held her breath in anticipation "– well, met yesterday and I've had a look at his resume, and to be honest, even though he doesn't really have that much experience in a school environment, there's nothing concrete I can come up with that gives me any excuse _not _to hire him."

Bella's face broke out into a huge grin at the news, immensely surprised at how quickly this had happened and already looking forward to seeing Edward every day in the staff room – on a strictly friendly basis, she thought, sighing slightly inside – but a wrinkle of confusion appeared in the middle of her forehead.

"That's great news Tom, but, um... with all due respect... Why are you calling _me_ about it?"

Tom laughed at her confused tone, but still seemed somewhat anxious.

"The thing is, Bella, even though he's only part-time, it would be really great if he could start right away, since we're already one gym teacher short what with Bree Tanner's broken leg. In fact, if he could come down to the school tomorrow to meet the teachers and get used to the place, it would be ideal. The trouble is, I've been trying the cell number he gave me all day, and I just can't get through. I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you maybe had a landline number for him I could try?"

Bella bit her lip.

"I'm sorry Tom," she replied dejectedly, "I don't have another number for Edward..." Suddenly an idea hit her. "However, I'd be happy to pay him a visit and deliver the news to him myself. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to hear it!"

"Oh, I couldn't ask you do that, Bella." Tom sounded unsure. "I'm sure his cell will be working tomorrow, we'll be alright one more day."

"It's no trouble, Tom," said Bella brightly, feeling a little excited now. Edward had visited her a few times since he had decided to be her friend again, but she had never been to see the apartment on the edge of the town which he constantly belittled. Besides, she had been nowhere other than school, her apartment and the grocery store for days, and she was beginning to feel cooped up. "I can give him a rundown of what to expect on his first day while I'm there, and maybe give him some tips – some of the older kids can be a bit of a handful if you're not used to them."

Tom chuckled, having taught his fair share of little monsters in the fourth grade before becoming principal.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Absolutely. I'm sure he'll be eager to get started, but I'll tell him to give you a call if he has any questions I can't answer."

"I can't thank you enough Bella. I'll see you and Edward bright and early first thing tomorrow, then."

"Don't worry about it, Tom. See you tomorrow!"

**~o0o~**

Bella was grinning as she hung up the phone, thrilled that Edward had got the job – it might not be a full nine to five, but at least it was something; and something he actually _wanted_. Plus, she enjoyed Edward's company, and there hadn't been a lot of opportunities for them to catch up lately as she wasn't going to self defense classes anymore and meeting up for a drink in the evenings with the girls, Jasper and Emmett was kind of out of the question – the girls had all gone out together once, but it just wasn't the same when you were stuck drinking lemonade.

Putting away her lesson planner, she searched absent-mindedly for her purse. She wasn't quite sure how Edward would react to her just turning up like this unannounced, since on the few occasions he had mentioned it he seemed a little embarrassed of the supposed 'dinginess' of where he lived, but she figured she probably wouldn't stay too long, plus the good news she was delivering would make up for any inconvenience, she was sure. It was relatively late in the evening, and she was finding herself getting more tired earlier in the day now. She patted her still mostly flat stomach gently, biting her lip as she recalled the struggle it had been to button her pants for work that morning. She knew at this stage it was mostly bloating, but she couldn't help feeling a little nervous about the drastic changes her body would begin to show all too soon. Shaking her head and standing up purposefully she focused on the task at hand, reminding herself that as unexpectedly as this little peanut had announced itself, she knew she would do nothing other than love it with all her heart.

A quick text message sent to a curious Jasper gave Bella Edward's address – she scolded herself for not already knowing it – and she quickly hopped into her car, switching on the windscreen wipers full blast to cope with the ever-present rain.

**~o0o~**

Ten minutes later, Bella pulled up outside a small row of aging 2-storey buildings. According to Jasper, Edward lived in the top floor of the one on the end. She paused in her car for a minute, hoping the rain would let up a little. She vaguely wondered if she should have called before coming, before remembering that the whole reason she was here was because Edward's phone wasn't working. She shrugged to herself as she gave up hoping the rain would ease and pulled her hood over her head. She like the idea of surprising him – and as far as she knew, he had nowhere else to be tonight.

Trying her best to dodge the quickly-growing puddles she dashed for the door, surprised to find it unlocked, and shaking the droplets of rain from her coat she stepped into the unlit hallway, looking around. To her right was a heavy door, presumably leading to rooms on the first floor, and straight in front of her was a narrow flight of stairs. She gingerly started up them, beginning to understand why Edward never spoke about his apartment with much love as she eyed with suspicion a jagged hole in the wall about a foot in diameter half way up the stairs. She quickly reached the top of the stairs and another heavy looking door, and her face cracked into a grin once again. She hadn't seen Edward in days, and she missed his dry humor and optimism – plus she knew how ecstatic he'd be to learn he had just been given what was looking to be the most permanent job he'd had since coming out of college. She knocked excitedly on the door, and heard a rustling from inside. The door opened a crack and Edward's head appeared in the gap, his eyes suspicious and a scowl on his face for a split second before it broke into a huge grin.

"Bella!" he cried in surprise, opening the door fully and ushering her inside. He took her damp coat as she shrugged out of it, hanging it on a nail by the door next to his and turning to face her. "What are you doing here?"

Bella couldn't help the grin of excitement that had plastered itself across her face, but she tried to act as nonchalant as she could.

"You need to get your cell phone fixed, Edward," she said in a sing-song voice, waggling her finger at him as his look turned to amused confusion. "You might be missing some important calls."

Edward scratched his head, running his hand through his hair as he did when he wasn't quite sure what was going on.

"Yeah, um, it took a swim in a puddle this morning." He laughed to himself. "I'm dropping it in to the store tomorrow to get it repaired." He cocked his head, taking in her excited look. "What's so important it brought you all the way out here to this cardboard box piece of crap I live in?"

"I got a call from a very distressed principal Banner this evening," replied Bella, ignoring the apartment-hate she was now used to from Edward and giving him a coy look. "Seems the new martial arts teacher he's trying to hire to teach the older grades starting from tomorrow is un-contactable, so I offered to pay the guy a personal call..."

Edward's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I got the job?"

Bella nodded, clapping her hands and jumping up and down a little despite herself, and wondering where her sudden almost childish attitude was coming from. Edward's face broke into the biggest grin she ever remembered seeing on him as he looked to her face and his joyous eyes locked with hers.

"Man, Bella, you're amazing!" Her cheeks pinkened, and he blinked, taking a little step back and creaking eye contact with her, running a hand over his face but still smiling in relief. "Thank God... I was getting kind of worried there for a while. I mean, Jasper's a great guy, but I didn't really enjoy the idea of moving back in with him now that Alice is on the scene." He laughed, rolling his eyes at Bella. "There are some things a guy just doesn't want to hear, no matter how close a friend they are."

Bella giggled, the short time she had spent sleeping in the same apartment as Rosalie and Emmett, and – albeit one night – as Alice and Jasper having been way more than she really wanted to know about any of them. She began to gaze around the room for the first time as Edward continued.

"So I guess you're stuck with me now Bells," he smirked.

She smiled absent-mindedly as her eyes surveyed the faded drapes and moth-eaten couch.

"Don't sell your soul to it just yet Edward, some of those twelve year olds are so full of themselves they could make a nun swear."

He chuckled, and walked over to the couch, shifting a couple of old car magazines so Bella could sit at the other end.

"Nah, I love kids. They're so smart and intuitive. You just need to know how to work them. I used to play baseball with my little cousins all the time when I lived back home. I swear, it seemed like I was the only one in my family with enough patience to ignore their whining for long enough to actually knock some game sense into them."

Bella laughed, curling her legs up underneath her as she settled into the corner of the squashy couch, pretending not to notice the faint smell of damp that floated out of the furniture which had come along with Edward's apartment.

"Well, we'll just see about that."

Looking at her, Edward frowned, as if something had just occurred to him.

"Speaking of kids... Bella, I know you think I'm always being unfair when I complain about the state of this apartment, but there's a reason I didn't want you coming up here." Bella opened her mouth to protest, but he continued quickly. "There's so much... _crap_ in the air here Bells. Dampness and dust and God knows what else. Bugs crawling everywhere they can find a way in. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if there were rats in some of these buildings." Bella shivered and pulled her legs up tighter underneath her. She glared at Edward as he laughed unsympathetically.

"Don't joke about that."

"I'm not." His eyes dropped briefly to her stomach where her hands automatically rested, gentle but protective. "It's pretty toxic here, but it's all I can manage at the moment. I don't want you visiting me here when you risk catching something that could harm you, or... the baby."

Bella bit her lip, glancing at his caring face at the other end of the couch, her earlier elatedness fading as his confusing, conflicting actions caused havoc with the emotions she thought she was doing a good job of reigning in.

"That's not all I need to worry about," she muttered, more to herself than Edward, but his eyes caught hers with a questioning look anyway. "Right at the beginning... with... Felix..." She swallowed the quickly forming lump in her throat and continued, trying to force the memories to pass by quickly and not take hold. "Getting beaten unconscious isn't exactly the best thing for an unborn child either." She laughed darkly, her eyes betraying her fear. "Not to mention getting so drunk I could barely move a few weeks later." She tensed her jaw as she looked sadly down at her belly, refusing to let any tears come out; not wanting to dampen what should have been a happy evening any more than she already had. Taking a deep breath, she looked up to see Edward grasping somewhat helplessly for the words that could make her feel better, and shook her head, trying to push her fears away. "Don't worry about it Edward. I'm seeing Dr Gerandy at the end of next week, I'm sure he'll be able to tell me what the damage could be..." She trailed off, fighting her tears again despite her strongest attempts. She felt Edward move on the couch across from her, but before he could touch her, she stood up quickly. It was unfair to put Edward in this uncomfortable situation with a ridiculously hormonal pregnant woman's worries, however founded they might be. She shouldn't force her to comfort her when it was obvious he didn't really want to touch her. She ran her hand through her hair quickly. "But you're probably right," she continued, forcing her voice to be stronger. "Maybe it's best if I don't visit your _beautiful home _too often for the next few months." She laughed, making herself seem over-happy, trying to convince Edward to forget what had just happened. "We'll be seeing so much more of each other anyway, now that you're starting work at the school!"

At that comment, Edward's face brightened somewhat and he stood up to join Bella, allowing her to pretend the previous moments hadn't happened. He chuckled.

"You'll be sick of me soon enough!"

"Maybe I should leave now, then," she said, smiling, as she began to head towards her coat, still hanging next to the door. "Wouldn't want to overstay my welcome and get prematurely bored of you."

Edward grinned, following her and insisting on helping her awkwardly into her coat, grabbing her waist instinctively as she stumbled on a loose floorboard before quickly moving his hand to her upper arm to steady her instead. She sighed, her brow crinkling in frustration at Edward's odd, almost formal behaviour once again, but tried to ignore it. He was too complicated to figure out right now with so much else going on in her head, however much she wished she could.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, Edward!" she called over her shoulder as she began to make her way down the narrow staircase once again. He smiled again and casually waved goodbye, watching until she reached the bottom and ventured cautiously back out into the light drizzle that had replaced the earlier pelting rain.

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><p>:)<p>

**A/N: **So... I *know* Edward's entire hiring process is unrealistic and way too quick. But most of that appeared in a rewrite of this chapter, and at that stage I was kind of starting to get sick of the whole thing so... Go with it? Pretty please...? :)

I prrrrrrrrrrOMISE to upload next week's chapter on time! (it's an exciting one for Bella!)


	19. Chapter 19

So this is a sweet little chapter (well, it's not _that _little :P ) that Bella has certainly been looking forward to. :)  
>This is a particular chapter where research could only do so much to help me, so I really hope I've got Bella's emotions realistic and believable here - if not, I'm sorry &amp; I tried my best! 3<p>

Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 19 ~ 11 weeks<strong>

Bella was pulled out of her reverie by the shrill ringing of the school bell. The children had been happily coloring penguins and ice bergs to stick on their new climate change wall, and Bella was absentmindedly toying with her appointment card for her visit to Dr Gerandy that afternoon. Lately her morning sickness had begun to subside, and with her new increased appetite she was definitely noticing a rather firm bulging in her abdomen that had certainly not been there before. She turned her attention to the children, thanking God for loose shirts and the extra button on her now snugly-fitting pants.

"Ok everybody, tidy up your coloring pencils and bring your drawings up here to me, and then you can go outside for recess." There was a loud rush of excited chatter followed by 20 crumpled pieces of paper being flung haphazardly in her direction. She sighed and laughed, shaking her head as the door swung closed behind the last little boy, and made her way around the classroom picking up the discarded pencils. As much as some of these kids had questionable attention spans, she couldn't fault their enthusiasm.

She made her way to the teachers' lounge, glancing longingly at the coffee machine before sighing and filling a glass of water at the faucet. She jumped as an energetic form slumped down next to her in the seat she'd taken by the window.

"Hey Bella." Edward's cheeks were ruddy and the sleeves of his casual sweater were rolled up. Bella envied his comfortable dress – she would have liked to wear large, baggy clothes to disguise her changing body for a while until she felt comfortable sharing her news with everybody at work, but when you spend your day cleaning up after six year olds, it just wasn't very practical.

Bella smiled at the happy look on Edward's face. Though he had started working at the school just over a week ago, he had been welcomed like a long-lost family member and already knew most of the children by name. The man was most definitely a people person.

"Hi Edward. You sick of the place yet?" she teased, while he rolled his eyes.

"You won't get rid of me that easily." Bella laughed. She was enjoying having Edward's company at work most days – while she was certainly friendly with the other teachers, there was just something about Edward's presence that made her feel relaxed and carefree, despite the unreciprocated feelings for him she was forcing herself to bury deep down inside, and no matter what else was going on in her life. Edward watched her smiling face with contentment. "You have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, right?"

Bella stopped laughing and sighed, leaning back in her chair, staring unseeingly at the room.

"Yeah." She glanced around to make sure nobody was within easy earshot, and turned back towards Edward, suddenly grinning almost shyly. "Alice and Rose have been pouring over pregnancy books whenever I let them into my apartment. They insisted on coming with me today, and they think Dr Gerandy will let us hear the baby's heartbeat!" Her eyes lit up and Edward laughed at her excitement.

"That's really great, Bella." He pulled a face as he noticed the clock on the wall, and stood up slowly. "I'd better go. I have fourth graders turning up for their first proper class with me in a few minutes."

Bella sighed and mimicked his disappointed expression.

"I'd better go have a word with the substitute teacher who's taking the kids later. They're kind of excitable today." She laughed, heading towards the door with Edward beside her.

"Hey, Bells..." He paused, cocking his head to one side. "Let me know how it goes this afternoon, ok?"

She nodded, pleased at his interest and glad of his support.

"Thanks Edward. I will."

**~o0o~**

Bella sat nervously between Alice and Rosalie on the plastic chairs in the doctor's waiting room, her hands wrapped protectively over her small stomach. Now that she was here, waiting, she couldn't shake the feeling that something would be wrong with the baby. Her baby. She swallowed. Rose and Alice were each holding one of her hands, understanding her worries about what had happened to her and what she had done early on in the pregnancy.

"What if he can't find a heartbeat?" she whispered, so faintly she was surprised either of her friends heard it.

Alice squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Bella," she began quickly, but was cut off as the receptionist suddenly poked her head out through the small window.

"Bella Swan?" Bella's head shot up, worry etched on her face. "Dr Gerandy will see you now."

The three girls walked down the corridor in silence. They reached the doctor's office, and Rosalie and Alice introduced themselves as Bella settled herself in the chair opposite Dr Gerandy's desk.

"So Bella, how are you doing at the moment?" The doctor's cheery disposition did little to shake Bella's worries, but she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ok, I guess. My morning sickness isn't so bad now."

Dr Gerandy nodded happily, but Rosalie scowled.

"Bella's been having some concerns about the effects some of the events that happened early in her pregnancy might have on the baby."

"Oh yes, Bella?" Dr Gerandy looked concerned. "Have you experienced any bleeding or abdominal pain since our last meeting?"

Bella shook her head.

"No, everything's been fine. I know we spoke about this last time, but I just can't shake the feeling that something's wrong." She bit her lip. Dr Gerandy sat down at his desk and looked at her kindly.

"Ok, Bella. Well, for starters, the chance of miscarriage is greatly reduced after the tenth week of pregnancy, and you are currently..." He glanced at his notes briefly. "...eleven weeks and one day along, so while there is still a small risk, the fact that you are still carrying your baby after everything that happened is a good sign." Bella let out a shaky breath, but still looked unsure. "As for the alcohol, you told me previously that you vomited quite soon after consuming it. While it's true that some of it may have been absorbed into your bloodstream, expelling the rest quickly was your body's way of recognising the toxin and getting rid of it as soon as possible." He paused. "There's not really any tests I can do at this early stage that will tell us anything conclusive about this, Bella," he said, taking in her still worried face, "but if it will make you feel a bit better, hop up on the table here and we'll see if we can have a little listen to your baby's heart."

Bella heard Alice's tiny gasp of excitement, and felt her own heart begin to beat in anticipation too. She gingerly sat on the plastic-covered bed-like table and swung her legs around and up too, lying back slowly and feeling Rosalie and Alice grab her hands again in encouragement and support. She rolled up her blouse as Dr Gerandy switched on a complicated-looking machine, and on his instruction, she undid the button at the top of her pants, blushing slightly.

Dr Gerandy smiled warmly at her as he squirted a large amount of gel onto the end of a thick, stick-like probe, but gently warned her, "Bella, it's very possible that we won't hear baby today. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong, it just means we come back another day and try again. So you need to remember that if we don't hear a heartbeat, it's completely normal, and there's nothing to worry about just yet. Ok?" Bella nodded, but stayed tense. She _knew,_ if Dr Gerandy couldn't find the baby's heart beat, there would be something wrong. "Now, this may feel a little cold..."

She gasped as he pressed the probe into the bottom of her stomach, the cool gel squishing out around it. He slowly moved it, angling it this way and that, beginning to frown a little to himself after a moment as he continued searching. Bella closed her eyes in defeat and felt her heart begin to break as Rose squeezed her hand tighter. He couldn't find a heartbeat. She _knew_ there was something wrong. She bit her lip hard and fought against the tears as her life came crashing down.

All of a sudden, a barely audible blip appeared behind the static noise the machine was emitting. Bella's eyes shot open and her mouth rounded into a speechless gasp as Dr Gerandy moved the probe a fraction of an inch to the left and the blip was followed by a stronger thump, then more thumps, regular thumps, in very quick succession. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

Alice and Rosalie's faces broke out into huge grins as Bella felt herself almost laugh in relief and amazement.

"That's my baby," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone in the room, as she listened to the strong thumping heartbeat that was coming through the machine. Dr Gerandy smiled and nodded.

"That's your baby, Bella. And a very strong and healthy baby too, by the sound of it."

Bella reached down in awe to lay a hand on her slightly protruding belly, her mouth still round with wonder.

"That's my baby..." Her quiet voice cracked as a single tear slid out of the corner of her eye.

Alice crouched down and rested her chin on the table next to Bella's hip.

"Hi, baby," she said quietly in an almost reverent voice. "I'm your Auntie Alice. Not your real auntie. But your 'everything except blood-related' auntie." Her eyes flicked up to Bella's face, then back to her belly. "Not that your mommy gets any say in this of course." Bella slipped out of her private reverie long enough to give Alice a bemused look, which Alice ignored and continued talking. "You're going to be the most fashionable baby in the entire state of Washington." Rosalie snorted, but joined Alice at Bella's hip.

"You'd better watch it, baby," she murmured, her singsong voice oddly soothing in the quiet room. "Even if you're a boy, she still going to want to put you in pretty pink dresses!"

Bella laughed, staring down at the pair of them and shaking her head.

"You guys..." she said, smiling, bringing her other hand down to cradle her belly lovingly. Alice and Rosalie looked up at her, confused. "There's a _baby. Inside of me._ It's a real-life _person_."

Rosalie chuckled as Dr Gerandy moved off to make some notes on a chart in the corner, out of the way.

"Yes there is, Bella. _Hell _yes,there is."

**~o0o~**

Bella skipped quickly through the doors of the school, the quiet emptiness of her workplace in the early evening mildly unnerving. She made her way to her classroom, bending to pick up the stack of math books she had forgotten earlier. She struggled a little, trying to bend her arms around the pile in such a way that it wouldn't completely topple over as she carried it out to her car, and jumped a foot in the air, almost scattering the books everywhere, when someone suddenly called her name.

"Bella?"

Turning awkwardly around, her eyes rested on the figure rapidly approaching her from the other end of the hall.

"Edward!" She smiled as he reached her classroom and leant casually against the doorframe. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to hang around for a while and watch soccer practice to see what all the fuss was about. I was just coming in to grab my keys." He gave her a crooked smile. "But I could ask you the same question."

She nodded obviously at the precarious pile in her arms.

"Forgot these."

He reached out.

"Allow me. I can't let a poor, decrepit pregnant woman carry all those books."

Bella groaned and rolled her eyes.

"_Edward..._"

He ignored her complaints and relieved her of the heavy books, much to her secret relief, and began to walk with her out to the parking lot.

"So..." he began, eyeing her cautiously as she opened the trunk of her car and he lowered the math books inside. "How did it go today with the doctor?"

Her face broke into a huge, goofy grin and she sat on the lip of the open trunk, her hand going unconsciously to her tummy.

"Oh Edward, it was amazing," she gushed, her starry eyes distant. "Dr Gerandy found the baby's heartbeat. It was so strong – and so _fast_!" She laughed, her eyes dropping to her hands resting on her stomach. "It was such an unbelievable thing to hear. It was like... It's suddenly _real_ now. There's really a baby growing inside me as we speak. A baby with a _heartbeat._"

Edward sat down next to her.

"That's really great, Bella. I'm really glad everything's ok."

She smiled ruefully at him.

"Thanks Edward. I really appreciate your support, you know. This whole thing... It's just been so scary. All the things that could have gone wrong... That still could go wrong..." She bit her lip, her eyes going down.

He stood up quickly, standing in front of her and grabbing her hands, and pulled her up to face him, though he dropped her hands again as soon as she was standing.

"Bella," he said pointedly. "Your baby is healthy and strong. You just said the doctor told you that, so you need to believe him."

Bella sighed, and the smile returned to her face.

"I know Edward. But... thanks, all the same."

He grinned his crooked smile again.

"Any time, Bella."

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><p>Reviews make Swan Jr grow stronger...<p>

:)


	20. Chapter 20

I can't **BELIEVE** we're on chapter 20 already! :O :O (For anyone wondering, the full story has 31 chapters + epilogue). I also can't believe that that thought has only just occurred to me! :L  
>I want to take this opportunity to just say a big thank you to all my readers and reviewers so far... 3 you all! :D<p>

Part of this chapter takes a quick trip back to Bella's adorable first graders. :) I've gotta say, I **loved **writing those bits with the kids. :D :L

But for now... Welcome to the second trimester...! ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter 20 ~ 13 weeks<strong>

"Ugh, I'm disgusting," moaned Bella, twisting and turning in front of the mirror, trying but failing to suck in the tummy that poked out oddly in the front of her sweater dress.

"Bells, you look hot," called Alice from the next room.

"In a yummy-mummy sort of way," continued Rosalie from the bathroom. Bella groaned.

"Say what you want, Rose, but Bella's going to have bigger boobs than you soon!" retorted Alice.

Bella took one tottering step back from the mirror in the knee-high black leather stiletto boots Alice had somehow forced her to wear. Even if she spent the entire night sitting down, she still wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow. She pulled uselessly at her dress, trying in vain to make it sit in a way that flattered her previously slim body.

"I'm just so bloated and huge!"

Edward stuck his head in the door just as Alice and Rosalie also emerged into the hall.

"Bella, you're not huge or disgusting, I promise. You have a _glow_." Bella rolled her eyes snarkily. "But unless you hurry up and decide you're ready to go, you'll be sitting in your apartment _glowing _all by yourself tonight." Rosalie snorted, giving Edward a rare nod of approval, and Bella huffed.

"_Fine_. Let's go. But don't expect me to enjoy myself!" The girls had finally convinced her to join them on a group night out, promising that it would be "not too late and not too vigorous". She wasn't sure which bit she was looking forward to more – the thought of being sociable and somewhat active when she was this exhausted after a long, trying week at school, or the thought of pretending to enjoy her exciting apple juice while the others got progressively louder, more excited and less inhibited.

Jasper and Emmett, appearing behind Edward, laughed at her scowling face, and Jasper patted her on the head patronizingly.

"Atta girl Bella, that's the spirit!"

Bella growled at him and stalked towards the door, grabbing her purse as she walked through it and headed towards the stairs, leaving the others laughing and running to catch up with her.

**~o0o~**

Sitting in the back corner of the table they had claimed on entering the premises, Bella found herself constantly distracted from the group's conversation. Pathetically, she was realizing this was the first time in a long time she'd been in a social place with people other than Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, Emmett and Edward, and she found herself suddenly noticing the large number of men there a lot more than she remembered doing before. And not just the classically "good-looking" men. She cringed as she found herself staring longingly at the rotund, red-faced bar tender, and ducked away just as he caught her eye and gave her an unnerving wink. What was going on here?

"Woah, check out the hottie at two o'clock," whispered Rosalie loudly in her ear, nudging her. Bella looked around and spotted a man sitting in shadow at the bar. Spontaneously, he turned briefly towards their table, making Bella's throat tighten and setting off a tingling deep within her belly.

"Nice," she murmured back appreciatively, then scowled. "Wonder if he has a thing for pregnant women?"

Alice glanced over and followed Bella's gaze, suddenly getting a weird look on her face.

"Bella!" Bella looked at her, surprised. "That guy is like fifty! He's _balding_! And he's wearing..." She shuddered. "_Mustard. Yellow. Pants._"

Bella looked back to Rosalie in confusion to see an equally disgusted look on her face.

"Bella, I meant _that _guy!" She pointed largely and obviously to a man in his late twenties who fit perfectly into the "tall, dark and handsome" category. "Geez, Bella, you need to raise your standards!"

Bella frowned and shook her head to herself. There was definitely something wrong here.

The boys suddenly stood up, having been immersed in their own conversation and to Bella's relief completely oblivious to what had just occurred.

"Time for another round!" declared Emmett loudly, and was promptly dragged away by Edward and Jasper before he decided to say it a little louder and ended up buying drinks for everyone in the building. Tipsy Emmett was like a louder, more booming but _slightly _less giddy version of tipsy Alice.

"You should head up there with them, Bells," smirked Rosalie as she watched Emmett's retreating back thoughtfully. "Maybe you can introduce yourself to your handsome hunk with the amazing fashion sense."

Bella swatted at her and banged her head down onto the table, groaning.

"You guys, I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm getting turned on by every guy in the freaking room!" Alice cackled loudly and Rosalie joined her, throwing her head back and laughing at Bella's dismayed face. "Guys, this is serious!" She looked down at her abdomen in confusion. "I think being pregnant has broken me!" This set the girls into fits of tipsy giggles once again, and Bella looked nervously up to the bar to make sure the boys were still occupied. The last thing she needed was for them to be in on her embarrassment too. "I'm not kidding!"

"Hang on." Alice suddenly sat up straight, a distant look on her face, almost as if she was having some sort of vision. She started to giggle again. "Um, Bella, you should really start reading more of those pregnancy books."

Bella's eyes widened.

"I _am _broken?"

Alice flicked her in the forehead.

"No, peabrain. How far along are you now?"

"Almost thirteen weeks..." said Bella slowly, not understanding the question.

"Welcome to the second trimester, Bella," said Alice, smirking. "It's apparently quite common for your hormones to go rather for the next few months. Many pregnant women find themselves strongly and inexplicably attracted to people they would never normally look twice at during this time," she rattled off, sounding as if she had memorized the entire book word-for-word. Which was not entirely impossible.

Bella leaned back in her seat and groaned again, while Rosalie laughed and patted her on the arm.

"In that case Bella, you're bound to find _someone _who's into MILFs." Bella gave her a questioning look. "Mom I'd like to – "

"Ok, ok!" said Bella loudly and quickly, clamping her hands onto her belly. "Not in front of the baby!" Rosalie snickered. Bella looked down at her little bump and sighed. "If you end up with an aging hairy biker for a stepdaddy, baby, that one's all on you!"

"Who's got a hairy stepdad?" asked Emmett, reappearing with Jasper, each precariously carrying a handful of glasses which they thumped onto the table.

"Oh, Bella's just feeling a little..." Rosalie paused, searching for the right word, which gave Bella a chance to kick her hard in the shin under the table. "Ow!" She scowled at Bella. "Uh, never mind. D'you lose Edward?"

Jasper nodded back up towards the bar.

"He kind of got accosted on the way back."

Bella followed his gaze and saw a tall, leggy blonde reach up and lightly squeeze Edward's bicep as she spoke to him, flicking her hair and licking her lips as she giggled hysterically at something he said. Bella felt a strange twang inside her as she watched, and Alice snorted.

"Well, looks like he's enjoying himself."

As she spoke, the blonde grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. He looked a little bemused, but followed her willingly enough.

"He's got the right idea, though," said Rosalie, grabbing Emmett's hand and dragging him out of his seat. "Come on, babe, let's go dancing."

"Me too me too!" squealed Alice, pushing Jasper up ahead of her and turning back to Bella, stretching out a hand. "Come on, Bells."

Bella couldn't get the image of Edward and the blonde, who had now disappeared to the far side of the dance floor, out of her head.

"Um... I'm kind of tired, Al, I think I'll sit this one out."

Alice pouted.

"Bella, it's only the start of the night. You can't be tired _yet_!"

"Alice, you put me in these boots, you have to suffer the consequences!" Bella wiggled one foot at her to prove her point. "I'll be fine here for a while." She paused, and pulled a face. "As long as no sexy hobos walk past, I guess."

Alice laughed a light, tinkling laugh and shrugged her shoulders, bounding up to Jasper and draping herself unceremoniously over him.

Bella watched the two couples for a while, swaying with each other as the loud music thumped around her. She frowned slightly. Why had seeing Edward with that blonde affected her like that? Sure, a few short months ago, it had been her, not the blonde, dancing up there with Edward... But a lot of things had changed since then. Edward had given her enough signs that he only wanted to be friends now that she was damaged goods. And she had had a lot on her mind... It had taken a while, but finally she thought she had succeeded in making herself forget about thinking about him like that. Most of the time. She shook her head roughly. She was over Edward. It must just be those stupid second trimester hormones playing games with her. Still, as she watched the room filled with happy couples having a good time, she couldn't help feeling a little bit lonely. It wasn't just Edward who would be disinclined to get into a relationship with someone who was pregnant – or someone who had a kid. That was something she's have to resign herself to for the foreseeable future. She crossed her legs and chewed on her thumbnail, and sighed again. She knew she shouldn't have come tonight. She picked up her purse and rifled through it, finding her phone and beginning to send a text message to Alice. She wouldn't get it while she was dancing, but when she returned to the empty table Bella knew she'd immediately check her cell.

She began to stand up, and bumped into a slightly sweaty-looking Edward, whose face brightened upon seeing her.

"Bella! There you are!" he beamed, the slight smell of alcohol on his breath indicating his frame of mind.

She smiled wryly at him.

"This _is _our table, Edward. Where else would I be?"

"Awesome." He plonked himself into a chair, and noticed Bella still standing, holding her purse. "You going somewhere?"

"I'm kind of tired," she said, shrugging her shoulders and trying to appear nonchalant. "Everyone else is busy and having a great time, so I figured I'd just head home. It's been a long week."

Edward took a deep breath, surveyed her determined look, and then nodded, standing up.

"Ok then, let's go. I'll walk you home."

Bella shook her head vehemently. Just because she was feeling sorry for herself didn't mean she should bring others down with her.

"No Edward, you're here to enjoy yourself. I'll be fine walking home on my own, it's still pretty early and it's only a couple blocks. Go have fun!" Edward opened his mouth to protest, but Bella spied the leggy blonde approaching quickly, having finally hunted him down again. "Besides, I think you're otherwise engaged." She gave a strained smile as the blonde fingered Edward's collar as he spun around, surprised.

"There you are, Edward. I was beginning to think you were trying to hide from me." Her girlish giggle grated on Bella's eardrums as she gave a small wave goodbye to Edward and began to make her way towards the door, glancing back only briefly to see a bewildered and slightly scared-looking Edward following her retreating back with his eyes as the blonde dragged him backwards back onto the dancefloor by his wrist, her fingers lacing between his obtrusively.

**~o0o~**

"So, you had a good time Friday night, huh?" Bella smirked, swinging her legs as she sat on the edge of the teacher's desk in her classroom.

Edward grimaced, running a hand through his already messy hair.

"Aw man... That girl was like a dog with a bone. I had to leave the building just to get her to stop trying to make out with me."

Bella widened her eyes in mock surprise. She had already heard from Alice and Rosalie that Edward had "escaped" soon after her, claiming he too was tired but in reality just looking like he was bored out of his mind.

"Huh, I never picked you for someone to actually run away scared from a girl who was throwing herself at you, Edward."

He laughed.

"Nah. Blondes just aren't really my type."

Bella laughed along with him, but all through the weekend, she had been unable to shake the strange feeling that crept over her whenever she thought of Edward. Stupid pregnancy hormones, she chided herself, refusing to believe that it was anything more than her reaction to the other strange men she had felt momentary longings for that night.

Their camaraderie was interrupted by the shrill ringing of the bell signaling the end of recess, and soon small excited bodies began pouring back into the room. Edward made his way towards the door as the first graders settled into their seats in a somewhat orderly fashion.

"I'll see you later, Miss Swan."

"Bye, Mr Cullen!" Bella smiled and waved to him as he closed the door behind him, and was suddenly aware of a gentle tugging on the bottom of her blouse.

"Miss Swan, I picked these flowers for you outside at recess!" Rachel's deep brown eyes bored into Bella's, longing for praise as she grinned and held up the muddy bunch of oversized daisies.

"Oh, Rachel, those are beautiful!" smiled Bella, taking the flowers from her gently. "I'll put them in a glass of water right away." She noticed a not-so-silent conversation going on in the back of the classroom. "Tyler, Jared, would you like to share your news with everyone?"

"Miss Swan, Jared says Mr Cullen is your boyfriend!" Tyler giggled, covering his mouth with his hand as if he wasn't sure if what he was saying was ok or not, but was saying it anyway. Bella fought back a blush and a genuine look of astonishment and surprise, trying to keep her expression neutral. Were these kids seeing something she wasn't?

"Well Jared, Mr Cullen is my friend, and of course he's a boy, but he's not my boyfriend. What makes you think that?"

"Cos I always see you talking to him and stuff!" answered Jared, nodding to himself as he spoke.

Bella smiled, trying not to laugh.

"Just because you like talking to Kim, does that mean she's your girlfriend?"

Jared pulled a disgusted face.

"No!" He suddenly giggled. "My girlfriend is Leah."

"Hey!" shouted Leah in retort from her seat at the front of the classroom. "I'm not your girlfriend, I'm Tyler's girlfriend!"

This time, Bella couldn't help but let out her laugh at Tyler's look of utter surprise and horror.

"No she's not! Girls are icky!" He widened his eyes and looked around the room, making sure everyone believed him.

Bella smiled to herself as she quickly snatched the pencil aimed at Tyler's head before it managed to leave Leah's hand, and promptly announced that it was time to visit the school library to pick out a new book to read, averting the impending war before Paul and his small but wiry fists could get in on the action.

* * *

><p>Ah, young love... ;) :L<p>

See you next week! :D Be sure to let me know what you thought of this week's chapter! :)


	21. Chapter 21

I have one thing to say about the response to Chapter 20 - **Oh. My. Carlisle! **:O :O  
>NOT ONLY did Chapter 20 get more hits last Sunday than <em>any other chapter so far<em>, but it also got more hits in _one day _than this entire fanfic did during the _month of __September_! :O

And the reviews... I love _everybody _who reviews, and I try to make time to tell you all that. But it seems that the people who write the most touching reviews are always the ones FFn doesn't let me thank personally! :(  
>This week's <em>thank-you-I-love-you <em>goes to a reviewer with username _**Ryzzy**_ - thank you SO much for your comments, they really meant a lot to me. :)) While I don't ever have plans to change the names in Learning to Live and try to get it published, I ***DO* **plan on spending a couple months this summer writing my (second attempt at - don't ask!) original YA "softcore" fantasy novel, "_Raven_" (now that I've written this fanfic and proved to myself that I can actually *finish* a story :L ).  
>So watch this space! XD<br>(if you want to find out more about my original novel check out my website ciarabrewitt[dot]wordpress[dot]com or chat to me on Twitter [at]iSparkleToo :D )

Finally, all automobile-related content of this chapter is courtesy of my good friend-slash-resident-autophile Andrew, because I have even less car knowledge than Stephenie Meyer... :L

And now, without further ado... Prepare for the return of Mike Newton! :P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21 ~ 16 weeks<strong>

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jasper, happy birthday to you!"

The girls cheered as Emmett and Edward thumped Jasper on the back in congratulation and Alice planted a big, wet kiss on his lips.

"Dude, you're getting _old_!" joked Edward, and Jasper cuffed him on the back of the head as Edward smirked.

"Thanks, guys," Jasper smiled, his arm around Alice's waist. "You didn't have to do this, I told Alice I only wanted something small and quiet."

Alice pouted as the others laughed.

"Jazz, this is a café in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday. This _is_ low key." She rolled her eyes, but a smile broke out on her face despite it all. "You should know by now that if you had insisted on just having something in your apartment, you would have had a much bigger, louder party to deal with!"

Jasper laughed, and had to agree.

"Too true, my little Tinkerbell," he muttered, squeezing her in a quick hug as she grinned ruefully by his side. It was a testament to Alice's feelings for Jasper that she had even _tried _to rein her usual party excitement in to something he would want. Jasper eyed the monstrous chocolate cake that sat in front of him with trepidation and gingerly picked up a knife, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um..."

Bella and Rosalie laughed as Alice raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

"Oh come on, babe, don't tell me you're scared of a little cake?"

"There's just... a _hell _of a lot of it there. I'm not entirely sure where to start."

The group broke into laughter again, Edward and Emmett booming over the girls, and Alice sighed theatrically and took the knife from Jasper's hand, pulling the plate in front of her.

"You'd better leave this one to the expert then, Doctor."

**~o0o~**

A while later, they had tidied everything away and were enjoying one last slice of cake at Alice's forever-hungry insistence, when Bella felt a disturbingly familiar hand on the back of her chair.

"Well, if it isn't the beautiful Miss Bella Swan."

Bella cringed inwardly and lifted her head to face her suitor as Alice and Rosalie tried their hardest to contain their laughter and Emmett, Jasper and Edward looked on confused.

"Uh, hi... Mike." She looked round the table quickly, trying desperately not to catch Rose or Alice's eye. "Everybody, this is, um... Mike... uh..."

"Newton." He gave her a shudderingly cheesy smile. "So, how're things going with that boyfriend of yours?"

Bella swallowed somewhat nervously, answering quickly before the question could dredge up her forcefully repressed memories of Felix.

"Uh, we're not... together anymore."

"Things didn't work out, huh?" Mike shook his head, still smiling, and appearing oblivious to the sniggers and looks of disbelief around the table – in fact, appearing oblivious to the others' presence at all. "Such a shame..." Bella tried to smile politely. "So, did you lose my number or something?" He winked one of his bright blue eyes at her, which only served to give him a strange dimple in the top of his round cheek. "It's ok, I forgive you. So, you wanna go for that date now? I'm free tonight if you are!" He gave her what Bella assumed was supposed to be a deep, alluring look. All he was missing were the wiggling eyebrows. Just.

She bit her lip, forcing herself not to laugh at poor Mike and to ignore Emmett's huge form next to her shuddering with silent laughter. Quenching her unease at the memory of Mike's cold, clammy hands, she took a deep breath and turned in her chair, taking one of them gently and hoping the look on her face wasn't _too _pitiful.

"Look, Mike," she began, trying her best to be as nice as possible about it. Suddenly Mike's jaw slackened.

"Oh... Um... Woah, uh..." his eyes flickered around the room, looking everywhere except straight at her, before finally seeming to fixate on her waist. Bella looked down at her abdomen, her tight t-shirt stretched around her tummy and her hand resting unconsciously on her now-actually-beginning-to-look-kind-of-pregnant bump. She bit her lip, tying not to laugh as she realized Mike's train of thought. "Guess I uh... got here too late..." He shrugged awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, taking an unconscious step back. "Um, I actually just remembered, I have to go to this thing that I'm late for..." He started to retreat awkwardly towards the door of the cafe, before seemingly forcefully raising his eyes to meet Bella's again. "Uh, congratulations, Bella, on, you know..." He waved his hand around in her general direction. Bella tried her hardest to ignore Alice, who sat next to her with tears of silent laughter running down her face.

"Thanks, Mike."

He nodded in acknowledgement before almost running out the door into the parking lot. Jasper and Rosalie joined Alice and Emmett in bursting out into peals of laughter, while Bella threw her head into her hands and groaned, giggling mercilessly too. Edward was oddly silent, with a strange expression on his face.

"_What _was all that about," asked Jasper, a look of humorous disbelief on his face.

Bella shrugged her shoulders helplessly, still grinning.

"I bumped into him here a few months ago with Rose and Alice. He was pretty eager then too. I guess you can't blame the guy for trying!"

Jasper shook his head in wonder as a black, sporty looking car suddenly revved its engine loudly and obnoxiously and took off out of the small parking lot. Alice raised her eyebrows.

"Was that...?"

Bella laughed, nodding her head in pity for poor Mike, while Rosalie pulled a face, watching the car's retreating end out the window.

"Wow, show-off much?" she muttered. Jasper followed her gaze.

"Huh. That's a V8 Ford Mustang." He smirked. "A pretty old one, mind you."

"That has a pretty big engine!" commented Emmett, looking mildly impressed.

"Well, you know what they say," smiled Rosalie airily. "The bigger the engine, the smaller the..."

"Oh come on, Rose, be nice!" protested Bella, giggling despite herself. Rosalie smirked.

"Just keeping it real, Bells!"

"Yeah, what car does Emmett drive again, Rose?" commented Alice, her eyes teasing.

"Oh, he drives a piddly little Nissan Sentra..." laughed Rosalie, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Hell yeah I do!" boomed Emmett, grinning and winking at Rosalie as she smiled back serenely.

"Ack!" said Alice, clamping her hands over her ears theatrically. "Ok, I don't think I want to hear anymore!" She stood up, grabbing her oversized purse. "I'm going to the restroom." Bella stood up too, following suit.

"I'll come too." She pulled a face. "Baby wants to pee again."

Jasper shook his head, a wondering look on his face.

"Why do girls always announce this stuff?"

"And why do they always go in packs?" complained Emmett, as Rosalie jumped up from the table with a loud, "Wait for me!"

Bella eyed Edward as she pushed in her chair. He was still pretty quiet, and had an odd distant but tense expression on his face. Bella frowned, but followed the girls into the restroom.

"Wow Bella, you sure can pick 'em," laughed Rosalie as she came out of the stall and made her way to the row of sinks. Bella shook her head in amused despair, drying her hands on a paper towel.

"The sad part is, the way my hormones are going at the moment... I almost would have!"

Alice's laugh was somewhat obscured by the flush of the toilet as she joined them at the mirrors.

"Oh Bella, what are we going to do with you?"

They made their way back out into the cafe again, Bella surprised to see Edward sitting with his head in his hands – but looking more relaxed than when they had left – and Emmett and Jasper laughing.

"Dude, you're such an idiot," chortled Emmett, all three of them quickly sitting up straight and looking weirdly innocent when the girls approached the table. Bella frowned.

"What've you done now, Edward?" she joked, rolling her eyes.

"Uh, I just realized I left my grey sweater at school," he said quickly. Bella raised her eyebrows slightly but said nothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw Jasper shake his head slowly and gently hit his face with his hand.

Alice, standing behind him, folded her arms and leant on Jasper's head, seeming oblivious.

"Right. Well I don't know about you guys, but considering there is only one slice of that huge cake left and there was barely six of us eating it, Rose counting for one half and Swan Junior counting for the other – "

"Hey!" huffed Rosalie. "Just because I don't stuff my face like the rest of you!"

" – I think it's extremely necessary that I go and lie down somewhere before I explode," finished Alice, ignoring Rosalie and snatching Jasper's keys before he could stop her.

Bella sighed in agreement.

"Yeah, I have homework to mark too," she muttered, feeling a wave of fatigue sweep over her at the thought of the large pile of books that awaited her at home as they traipsed out of the cafe into the dampish late spring afternoon.

**~o0o~**

Bella sat curled up in the corner of her couch, staring intently at the TV screen and trying to tune out the simpering noises that were coming from the armchair where Alice and Jasper were draped over each other, pretending to watch the movie but continuously getting distracted. She heard a quiet sigh from the other end of the couch and knew that Edward too was trying to ignore the happy couple. She just thanked her luck that Rosalie was working a high-end event that evening and Emmett was at home wallowing in self pity with an ice pack on his pulled groin muscle – she didn't even want to think about how that one had happened – so that they didn't have to endure their antics as well.

Finally the end credits began to roll and Bella sat up straighter, wincing as her joints popped a little from being stuck in the same position for two hours without moving. She blinked rapidly and threw her hand over her eyes as Edward suddenly snapped the light on, groaning in pain.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, are you trying to blind me?"

Edward only smirked, as Alice quickly extricated herself from Jasper's arms, her hair rumpled. She ran a hand through it, scowling slightly at Jasper upon finding it full of knots.

"I think I'm going to head off Bella, it's getting kind of late and I have to head out of town tomorrow morning to meet a new client," she said, yawning exaggeratedly.

Jasper stretched his arms, his shoulder clicking loudly as Bella cringed at the sound.

"Yeah, I have an early shift tomorrow at the hospital as well."

Edward raised his eyebrows in disbelieving amusement but said nothing as Jasper stood quickly and followed Alice to the door, both of them slipping through it quickly without another word.

"Wow," he laughed, shaking his head as the door banged loudly behind them. He noticed Bella glaring at the now-closed door. "Um... you realize they weren't blowing us off for work, right Bella?"

She shook her head slowly, still glaring as she grabbed her cell phone and starting pressing buttons quickly. Her eyes suddenly snapped up, registering Edward's confused look.

"Uh..." she felt her cheeks go slightly pink, and internally she glared at Alice some more, pressing send on the text message to her friend giving her hell for leaving her alone with Edward when just earlier that evening, Bella had been moaning about how she couldn't even be two feet from a guy these days without wanting to grab them animalistically and have her way with them. She tried to focus. "Just reminding her to actually close all her doors this time." She laughed, trying desperately to think of something to quickly change the subject and distract herself.

Edward joined her laughter, but seemed to be forcing it. He uncrossed his legs.

"Yeah, I should probably get going too. You're probably tired..." He began to stand up but Bella put out a hand to stop him, and he jumped nervously at her touch, seeming almost to flinch, and leant back into the seat again, but out of the way of her hand. Bella frowned, feeling confused and, to be honest, a little hurt.

"Edward..." She shook her head, confused. "What's going on? You've been weird like this since Jasper's birthday last week. What's up?"

Edward shrugged, but didn't quite meet her gaze.

"I don't know what you mean..." He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up. "If I've been acting in any way different, I haven't been doing it on purpose!"

Bella sighed, and scooted down to his end of the couch, pulling his hand from his hair and trying to ignore the building urge to insert it into her own. She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. Stupid pregnancy hormones trying to trick her. She knew very well what reaction she would get from Edward if she tried going down that route, he'd made it very clear over the number of weeks since she'd first told him she was pregnant. She stayed holding his hand and forced him to look at her.

"You've been tense, Edward, like you're hyper-aware of everything you do, always jumpy and distant whenever we talk. It's not like you. Something's up." She made him hold her gaze, and found herself staring into his astonishingly green eyes, almost mesmerized as they slowly went from guarded and tense, through a sudden flicker of something that looked strangely like realization which quickly changed to a look that was still a little protected, but which was infinitely more Edward, and more relaxed. He squeezed the hand she was holding and took a deep breath.

"Maybe I have been a bit off the last few days," he said, giving her a crooked smile that set Bella's insides squirming a little. "I don't know, maybe it's the weather or something." He glanced out the window into the dusk, the dry weather still holding up as it had been that week for what felt like the first time that year, and smirked; and though Bella could tell he was still brushing her off, his "back to normal" personality seemed genuine, so she figured that for whatever reason, he must have snapped out of whatever was going on in that quirky brain of his. She smiled back, and dropped his hand to fall back down by his side. Out of nowhere, a large yawn wracked her body. Edward laughed again, his eyes shining as his smile finally reached them. "See, I told you you were tired." He looked at his watch. "It _is_ getting late though. I should head home." Bella nodded sleepily this time, suddenly too tired to argue, and clambered slowly to her feet as he stood up. He rolled his eyes at her insistence to be a good host, and she fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him as she walked with him to the door.

"Bye, Edward," she said, something making her impulsively reach out and give him a hug without thinking. For a second he stiffened, but then his arms came up and he squeezed her gently, rubbing her back once before letting go and reaching for the door handle.

"Goodnight, Bella," he smiled, his smiling. "Pleasant dreams."

* * *

><p>So... Was Edward being completely honest, or is there something he's not telling Bella? ;)<p>

Random trivia: This chapter originally started with Edward's birthday party, not Jasper's. But about the time I was doing the second draft of this fanfic I realized I had *completely* forgotten about the whole concept of summer vacation... :L So yeah, some minor adjusting and timeline-changes were needed. :L

Finally, **teaser **for next Sunday's Chapter 22 - You don't want to miss chapter 22. _Trust me. _You are **DEFINITELY **going to enjoy it... ;)  
>(and if I happen to think of it, I *might* post it Sunday morning instead of Sunday evening... So keep your eyes peeled for it!)<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

Sooo, as promised, here's chapter 22 about 12 hours early! XD  
>And you should feel <em>extra <em>lucky, because this is the LONGEST CHAPTER in the entire story - by a LOT! :O :D

So part of me feels like I should give some kind of a "warning" with this chapter.  
>This was one of those chapters that was created at about 2 in the morning while I was half out of it and completely hopped up on caffeine. It contains fluff. <strong>MAJOR FLUFF. <strong>Seriously, I woke up the next morning and read over what I'd written, and I honestly found it difficult to believe I was CAPABLE of writing something that contained _that much fluff._  
>In fact, you're quite lucky Learning to Live is actually finished and sitting happily on my computer (and on a USB and in a few emails :P) right now, because when I finished writing this chapter, it was <strong>SO FLUFFY, I DIED.<strong> #truestory

Ok, enough with the fluff jokes. GO READ CHAPTER 22! XD

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22 ~ 19 weeks<strong>

"Well, Bella, I believe my congratulations are in order!" Elaine Berty smiled warmly as she clasped Bella's hands in her older, wrinkled ones. "Although I have to say, I've certainly had my suspicions for a while!" She tapped her head proudly. "Sometimes a woman just knows these things!" Bella laughed politely. She had finally been to see Principal Banner that morning to announce her pregnancy – Alice had finally had enough of her whining about tight pants and tops at the weekend and had dragged her out to purchase the first of her unbelievably roomy and comfortable maternity clothes, so she didn't really think she could hide it much longer – and word had seemed to spread like wildfire around the school since then. Secretly, though, she was enjoying the attention, although if the middle aged and worryingly 'handsy' third grade teacher George Varner asked to touch her now proudly un-hidden belly one more time she was strongly considering slapping him. She jumped about two feet in the air when an oddly strained high-pitched voice suddenly squealed in her ear.

"Ohmigosh, Bella, can I touch your stomach?"

"Edward!" she scolded, a hand on her heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Edward laughed a deep, rumbling laugh and returned to his normal voice.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. The look on your face was priceless." He sat down next to her on the plastic chairs that cluttered around the table in the centre of the teachers' lounge. "How're you holding up?"

Bella smiled to herself as she cocked her head to the side and thought about it. An entire morning of people coming up to her and congratulating her and telling her she looked wonderful, the sympathetic look in many of their eyes at their suspicions of who the baby's father was well enough disguised in most cases that Bella was able to pretend she hadn't seen it.

"It's actually kind of fun!" she laughed lightly, feeling the strangeness as the stretchy band on her new pants moved with her stomach instead of pushing against it. Edward laughed with her too, rolling his eyes good-naturedly but allowing them to rest momentarily on hers with a strange lingering intensity in them, from which Bella was immediately distracted by her cell phone vibrating in her pocket with a text message.

_Important and bossy client just insisted I personally do her and her daughters' hair for a party this Sat. No way I'll be able to make Dr appointment with u. :-( SO so sorry! Bring me pictures! Rose x_

Bella swore quietly to herself as she glared at the phone in frustration, her good mood suddenly gone.

"Bring her _pictures_?" Edward's eyebrows rose. "What kind of a doctor _is _this guy, Bella?"

Bella laughed once.

"It's my first ultrasound appointment. Alice and Rose both wanted to come with me, but Alice has to work all day Saturday and probably well into the night, and now Rosalie's just bailed too. I don't really mind about that, but my car finally decided to die rather dramatically yesterday afternoon, so now..." She bit her lip. "I'm kind of stuck."

Edward thought for a second, then shrugged, nodding to himself slightly as if making up his mind about something.

"I can give you a ride, if you want."

Bella's eyebrows sprung up, surprised.

"Are you sure? I don't know how long it will be, it could take a while. I don't want to mess up your day..."

Edward smiled reassuringly.

"I have nothing better to do on Saturday, Bella." He grinned brightly as the bell rang signaling the end of recess and the end of their conversation. "Sorry, have to get to class, no time to listen to you refuse!"

Bella laughed, shaking her head, and quickly followed the lethargic group of teachers out of the room, eager to avoid George's wandering hands.

**~o0o~**

Bella laughed while Edward swore loudly as the next set of traffic lights went from green to red as they approached. She had told him her appointment was at four, but he refused to accept that there really was no need to rush as Dr Gerandy _always _ran late.

"Hey, you won't be so happy if we end up missing your appointment and you never get to see little Junior in there," he grumbled, and she scowled, but saw the twinkle in his eye as he looked over to make sure she knew he was joking. She liked hanging out with him like this. Both of them relaxed – mostly – and just enjoying each other's company. She was finding herself missing him more and more when he wasn't around. Her mind immediately told her it was just the pregnancy hormones talking – telling her she wanted _any _man, just so long as it was _a_ man, and Edward happened to be around often enough to be drafted into that role – but she couldn't help a tiny, niggling feeling that didn't fully make sense. Sure, she was physically attracted to almost anything with two legs and a halfway decent dose of testosterone these days, but when Edward was around... What she felt about him seemed more... emotional... than everyone else. Could it be possible that...? She gritted her teeth and tensed her jaw, immediately banishing that thought. No. She wasn't going to even let herself entertain the idea that she might, somewhere deep inside of her, again – or still – feel something for Edward in that way. It was never going to happen. She was _over _Edward. This was just stupid pregnancy hormones.

Edward glanced over at her, concerned, seeing her tense up.

"You ok?"

She smiled, shaking herself out of it.

"Yeah. Just excited about getting to see this little one for the first time!"

He grinned at her as she rubbed her blossoming belly lovingly, looking back up in time to see him whip his gaze back to the road as they pulled into the parking lot at exactly three minutes to four.

Bella unbuckled her seatbelt and reached to open the car door as Edward started to unbuckle his seatbelt too.

"You don't have to come in with me Edward. You can go do something else for a while if you want."

Edward shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"I have nothing better to do, I may as well come in. They're bound to have some newspapers or magazines or something interesting I can read in the waiting room."

Bella smirked at the thought of him reading the numerous pregnancy and birth magazines that always littered the doctor's waiting room, but said nothing when Edward gave her a quizzical look.

**~o0o~**

They sat on the hard plastic chairs, Edward intently pouring over an article titled _"Meeting Your Baby: The First Pictures!"_.

"Hey, Bella, how many weeks are you?"

"Nineteen," she laughed, shaking her head in wonderment.

"Did you know you might be able to see the baby yawning in the ultrasound?" he exclaimed excitedly.

She smiled kindly, as if she were talking to one of her excited first graders.

"I think that's only with fancy 3D scans, Edward." His face drooped momentarily, before he went back to looking at the fuzzy black and white ultrasound pictures in the magazine with amazement. Bella laughed again, just as the receptionist poked her head out of her office and called her name, telling her Dr Gerandy was ready to see her. She stood up, nervous but excited, and looked at Edward peering at the magazine like an excited child. He was almost as bad as Alice and Rosalie. _Almost._ On impulse, she paused before heading down the hall into Dr Gerandy's room. "Um, Edward..." She bit her lip as he looked up at her. "You can come... if you want..."

Edward's eyes lit up, but his face remained carefully neutral.

"I wouldn't want to intrude, Bella, it's ok. I'm fine waiting here."

Bella rolled her eyes and reached down to grab his unsuspecting hand, dragging him to his feet.

"Come on, Edward."

He laughed, his eyes focusing for a moment on their joined hands.

"Oh, alright then. If you insist."

Bella smiled, and dropped his hand quickly as they walked down the corridor and into Dr Gerandy's room. They quickly exchanged pleasantries, Bella answering the familiar "Yes I feel fine," "No I don't still have any nausea" questions with an impatience Dr Gerandy laughed at.

"Alright then, Bella. Up you pop on the table, and let's take a look at your baby!"

Bella jumped up onto the table, grinning excitedly, biting her lip with the little anxiousness that always accompanied these sessions no matter what. She rolled up her top to the bottom of her bra, and blushed hot pink as she nervously unbuttoned her pants and pushed them down a little, suddenly very aware of Edward's presence next to her. Maybe bringing him in wasn't such a great idea. She fought the urge to cover her swollen, now-exposed belly, cringing at the thought of what Edward must be thinking at the sight of it, oddly stretched and misshapen somewhere between slightly bloated and gigantically pregnant.

She refused to look at Edward as Dr Gerandy squeezed cool gel all over her belly, tickling her a little.

"Before I begin, Bella, do you want to find out the sex of your baby today?"

Immediately distracted from her thoughts and brought back to the exciting situation at hand, Bella shook her head vehemently.

"Nope. I love my baby no matter whether it's a girl or a boy, so I'm going to wait until it's ready to tell me to find that out."

Edward laughed quietly at this, but before Bella could question him, Dr Gerandy suddenly switched on the screen and began to press the transducer into her abdomen. She felt Edward bend down to her ear level.

"You ready?" he whispered. She bit her lip, holding her breath and staring at the screen. All of a sudden, the fuzzy black image became interspersed with lumps of grey, and before Bella could register what was happening, the unmistakable shape of a face in profile appeared onto the screen. She gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth, laughing once in shock and wonder as a thin arm-like shape began to move to and fro.

"Wow," breathed Edward in awe, his head still near her face.

Dr Gerandy smiled.

"Looks like baby knew we were coming and is saying hello," he said, making some notes before slowly beginning to move the instrument around Bella's abdomen again. Bella watched, fascinated, as he pointed out the baby's face – only a lump of grey to Bella, but her eyes were glued to it nonetheless – and hands – at which point Bella could feel a tiny tear escape the corner of her eye at the sight of the _tiny_ fingers opening and closing vigorously – before moving around again to show them the baby posing adorable with its legs hunched up and ankles crossed, all the while checking and measuring everything he came across. "Well, Bella," he said at last as he switched off the machine. "From what I can see, your baby looks absolutely perfect – there's nothing in there that raises any concerns for me. Do you have any questions?" Bella shook her head, wiping the gel off her tummy carefully with a tissue while now staring intently at the strip of photos Dr Gerandy had printed out for her, hardly noticing Edward peering over her shoulder at them almost as intensely as she was.

**~o0o~**

Bella groaned and rubbed her belly as she pushed her chair out a little from her kitchen table.

"I swear, I cannot eat another bite."

"Pft. Lightweight," mocked Edward as he helped himself to another large spoonful of egg fried rice. Bella had suggested they stop for takeout on the way back from Dr Gerandy's and have a slightly early dinner at her apartment together, since Alice and Rosalie were both likely to be working till late, and Bella didn't feel like being alone. But now, as she watched him drop the last piece of batter-covered chicken into his mouth, she just stared at him, shaking her head and thinking Alice would be in for a run for her money. She stood up slowly, making her way to the counter and opening cupboards at random. Edward stared. "I thought you said you were full!"

"Yeah," mumbled Bella, "I just need... Aha!" She pulled a jar of pickles from the top shelf of the corner cupboard triumphantly. Edward shuddered and pulled a face.

"How can you _eat _those things?"

Bella shrugged. She had taken to placing jars of the ugly green knobbly things sporadically around the apartment for whenever the urge struck, her inexplicable desire for them having gotten stronger as her pregnancy progressed. She gobbling the first one down greedily, almost moaning at the taste. The intense craving almost gone as soon as it appeared mostly due to the serious lack of room left in her stomach, she held one more in her mouth as she screwed the lid back on the jar and popped it back into the cupboard. Pulling the pickle out of her mouth slowly as she gazed distantly out the window, she nibbled absentmindedly on the end of it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Edward watching her, a strange look on his face as he seemed to be trying not to look at her. Suddenly realizing what she was doing with the pickle, she stood still, her back to Edward, eyes flicking from side to side shiftily. Fighting the urge to giggle, she quickly finished it in two big bites, rinsing her hands quickly at the sink and drying them before turning back to Edward with a fresh face.

"Right. I don't care if you're not done eating, but _I _have to go lie on the couch before I collapse." She laughed exhaustedly as she made her way into the living room, kicking off her shoes and throwing herself onto her back on the couch and closing her eyes. She heard plates clattering from inside the kitchen as Edward tidied up, and smirked. A few minutes later, her eyes still closed, she felt her feet being lifted unceremoniously into the air. "Woah, what's going on?" she mumbled, squinting her eyes open, the huge amount of food already starting to have a soporific effect on her. Edward sat into the space on the end of the couch where her feet had been and allowed them to drop back into his lap. Bella started to sit up, but he waved her off.

"Bella, stay." He commanded, smirking at her, and all of a sudden he began to rub her feet. She giggled, wriggling her toes as his touch tickled.

"Edward Cullen, are you going all soft on me?"

He laughed, but continued massaging.

"Those pregnancy magazines in the doctor's waiting room kept mentioning how women's feet get sore a lot from carrying an entire other person around all day. I just thought you might appreciate it."

Bella laughed, running her hands down her stomach to cradle her belly lovingly. As big as it already felt to her, she knew it was a long way off the size it was going to be in a few months time.

"I may be bigger than I used to be Edward, but I don't think this counts as an 'entire other person' just yet."

"I don't know, Bella, that baby looked pretty person-like to me today on the screen!"

Bella grinned, sitting up straight and swinging her legs off the couch before Edward could do anything other than quickly lift his hands out of the way to avoid being kicked.

"I wanna look at the pictures again!"

She bounced into the kitchen where she had left the pictures from the ultrasound while they ate, Edward laughing at her suddenly renewed energy. Wandering back into the living room while looking at the strip of pictures with a goofy grin on her face, she walked across the room and straight into the coffee table.

She gasped in pain as Edward jumped up from the couch.

"Bella, are you ok?"

She nodded, laughing, as she bent down to rub her shin.

"It doesn't hurt that much."

Edward laughed, shaking his head at her in despair.

"You should really watch where you walk." Bella elbowed him in the ribs as she moved along the strip of pictures, and he peered over her shoulder. He pointed at a clear one of the baby in profile. "It has your nose!"

Bella giggled.

"Shut up," she murmured. "It has a very very cute nose!"

She felt Edward smile behind her.

"I'm not denying that."

Quirking her head to the side with a grin, she turned to face him, her eyes suddenly getting lost in his as they bored into her intensely. Her smile faded and she was struck by the light hitting Edward's strong jaw as he breathed evenly, his eyelashes casting shadows on his cheekbones. Her breath hitched.

"Edward..."

Without a word, he leaned in and pressed his lips gently against hers. She felt her entire body melt as he softly laid his hands on her shoulders and ran them slowly down her arms, the strip of ultrasound pictures fluttering from her hand to land on the coffee table. She felt him begin to pull back and without thinking she reached up, entwining her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck and pulling him to her. She kissed him back greedily, her nostrils filling with the warm scent of him as his hands slipped to her waist, pulling her closer, and gently caressed the sides of the bump that was now pressed between them. She felt his tongue run gently along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, letting it slip quickly inside, exploring her as her breathing became heavier and her heartbeat quickened. All of a sudden, Bella felt a strange fluttering in her belly. Confused, she began to slow her kisses. The fluttering came again, stronger this time. Edward suddenly pulled back, his eyes wide, startled.

"What was that?" he said, looking down at her belly in confusion.

"You felt that?"He nodded slowly, unsure, and Bella's mouth began to round in sudden realization. "I think..." A little giggle escaped her, and her mouth broke out into a huge grin. "I think that was the baby!" His expression slowly changed from confusion to awe, and he began to smile, staring at Bella in amazement with a look that set her heart fluttering too. "Oh!" Her hand flew to a spot by her navel, and Edward was immediately concerned again.

"Are you ok?" She grabbed his hand silently and pressed it to her belly, waiting. After a few seconds, she felt a little nudge right where she placed his hand. He jumped in surprise, and she grinned. "Bella, that's... amazing..." He drew her into his arms, planting a single gentle kiss on her lips and making her blush. She bit her lip, noticing it was a little swollen from kissing, and lowered her eyes, suddenly finding herself a little shy.

Without a word, Edward grasped her hand, leading her gently to the couch, where they sat, Bella curled into the crook of his arm, their fingers carefully entwined. Edward lifted their joined hands in front of them, wiggling his fingers a little.

"Is this ok?"

Bella leaned into him and smiled.

"It's more than ok." She grinned to herself, finally accepting what she had been refusing to believe lately – her feelings for Edward were more than just out of control, pregnancy-induced hormones. But then she remembered why she had been so adamant to reject the truth in the first place. She took a deep breath and turned her face up to Edward's, confusion dancing in her eyes. "But..." She paused. "When I first told you I was pregnant, after, you know..." He winced slightly, knowing what she was getting at. "Once we were friends again... I always thought you were repulsed by the idea of being with someone who was having a baby; someone who would get huger and huger and then end up with a screaming kid..." Edward looked baffled. "You just... It was like you didn't want to touch me or something, like you didn't really want to get any closer than was necessary for a... "platonic friend". But then in the last couple weeks... It was like something changed. Suddenly, it seemed like you were a hundred times more comfortable around me than you were even... before." Bella looked down, shaking her head. "And now this." She squeezed his hand. "What happened...?"

Edward shook his head, smiling apologetically.

"I guess I do owe you a bit of an explanation. First of all, Bella, there is no way on earth I could ever be repulsed by you, no matter how big you get." He leaned down to plant a kiss in the middle of her tummy, making Bella squirm and giggle, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "When you told me you were pregnant... after I'd sorted myself out... I told myself that the last thing you would want right now was a new relationship, what with all the other huge changes that had just happened in your life. I had myself convinced that all you could possibly want at this time was a friend, and nothing more; and because, for reasons I didn't understand, I couldn't bear not to have you in my life, I forced myself to squash any feelings I had for you... so I could be a good friend like you needed." Bella started to interrupt him, but he continued on. "Then the afternoon of Jasper's birthday, when that guy Mike showed up, flirting with you obnoxiously, it was like everything came rushing back, and suddenly I was insanely jealous of this guy who could just walk right up to you and let you know without shame how he felt." He paused, lifting their still entwined hands to Bella's face and pushing a stray lock of hair gently behind her ear. "But I didn't know if you felt the same. I was afraid everything I'd told myself to squash those feelings might be true," he finished, allowing their hands to come to rest on her belly.

Bella smiled and shook her head gently.

"Edward..." She laughed softly. "You really need to stop making assumptions about how I'm feeling."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Were my actions out of line a few minutes ago?"

Bella raised one eyebrow, mimicking his expression.

"Shut up Edward," she teased, cupping the back of his head with one hand and pulling it down, pressing her lips hard against his once more.

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><p>*peeks out from the rock she hid under about half way through that chapter*<br>That's the first time I've written fluff. It felt weird...

Can I get a "_FINALLY!_"? ;P

What did you guys think of this chapter? :)


	23. Chapter 23

You guys... you are too amazing. So many **awesome** people read and reviewed chapter 22 _way too awesomely_. I thanked everyone who lets me, but to all the rest of you, _**THANK YOU**_ from the bottom of my heart! It's you guys who keep me excited about this story even though I finished writing it almost 6 months ago... :)) 3

Let's see if we can recreate the awesomeness...? :P Here's chapter 23. XD

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><p><strong>Chapter 23 ~ 20 weeks<strong>

"You guys are just so damn cute!"

"_Al-ice_," Bella whined, grinning despite herself as she snuggled into Edward's side while he squeezed her shoulder, laughing.

"Naw, man, we're happy for you guys," smiled Emmett, his arm flung casually over Rosalie's shoulder as she fastened the clasp on her bracelet, her purse tucked under her arm. An elderly but regular client had gifted her two tickets to a party celebrating the opening of a fancy – but doomed in this small town – new hotel. Emmett shook his head. "But damn, Edward, it took you long enough!" They all laughed and Edward flipped Emmett off coarsely as he and Rosalie rushed quickly out the door before their cab gave up waiting.

"Come on, Bells, we'd better make a move too or we'll miss the start of the movie," said Edward, shifting to heave himself off Alice and Rosalie's couch and reaching out his hands to Bella, pulling her up too.

"Are you sure you'll be ok here on your own, Al?" Bella, ever concerned, felt bad about leaving Alice alone while the rest of them were all out having a good time. Edward, despite Bella's giggles and protestations, had insisted that regardless of their already existing friendship, he was bringing her on a "romantic first date" comprising of an early movie and dinner at her favorite restaurant, saying he wanted to "do this right".

"Bella, stop worrying," Alice laughed. "Jasper is coming over in a few hours after his shift anyway, so I'm not exactly going to be on my own." She swatted at them quickly, shooing them out the door. "Now you two lovebirds go have fun!"

Bella giggled as Edward pulled her out the door entwining their hands as they made their way down the stairs. They stepped out into the early evening, the dreary weather for once brightening up and just warm enough not to need a coat. Reaching his car, Edward quickly stepped forward and bent down to open the passenger door, sweeping his arm in front of Bella theatrically as he motioned for her to get into the car.

"Your carriage awaits."

Bella rolled her eyes at Edward's cheesiness, but couldn't help feeling flattered and a little excited at the prospect going on her first proper romantic date since she had first met Felix a few years ago. Edward slipped into the driver's side and flashed her an intense, crooked grin that made her feel warm and fuzzy and wonder at how she could never get tired of staring into his beautiful green eyes even after a week of nothing but that since they had finally realized they both wanted each other.

"You look beautiful tonight, Bella," he said reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and brushing her cheek softly with the back of his finger. She blushed, looking down at her coral-colored dress, her burgeoning twenty-week bump now proudly displayed. Edward stretched a finger under her chin, pushing her head back up, and leaned in for a chaste kiss, Bella's lips molding to his instantly. He pulled back. "Beautiful," he murmured softly, starting the engine and focusing his attention back onto the road. Bella giggled, looking him up and down, his navy blue shirt unbuttoned just enough to hint at the rippling muscles she remembered pressing against her at her first self defense class.

"You don't look too bad yourself."

He smirked, his eyes trained on the road, as they made their way to the outskirts of town.

**~o0o~**

They slipped quietly into the theatre just as the previews were coming to an end and slid quickly – as quickly as Bella could while trying to maneuver the narrow gap with a belly that suddenly seemed to want to throw her off balance – into an empty row near the back. They watched as the movie began, Edward occasionally playing with her fingers absentmindedly between his long thin ones. About half way through the movie, Bella was suddenly distracted from the story that had quickly sucked her in by Edward nuzzling against her neck, his light breath gently tickling her. She tried not to giggle out loud as his lips whispered their way up her throat to her earlobe, sucking it gently.

"Edward!" she whispered, giggling as quietly as she could and squirming as his mouth tickled her. She felt him laugh at her protestations and he began to move his mouth down again, peppering light kisses all the way to her collar bone before beginning to work his way back up to her chin. Without thinking, she let her head fall back to allow him better access, her eyes closing as he blew lightly on the wet patches his lips had made, making her shiver, but in an inexplicably good way. One hand snaked over to cup her waist, his thumb gently stroking the curve of her belly through her thin cotton dress. When his kisses finally reached her mouth, she felt her lips go on fire, snaking her hands into his hair as she sucked on his bottom lip. Their breathing became heavy as she pushed her tongue into his hot mouth, tasting him fully as he reciprocated eagerly, her heart beating quickly. A sudden shout on the screen made them jump apart, hearts beating hard and breathing heavily, laughing as quietly as they could.

"Whoops," whispered Bella sheepishly, giggling at Edward's hair standing straight up on end due to her frantic hands. She ran her hand through it again gently, trying to smoothen it out as best she could. Her hand came back down slowly down the side of his face, stroking him gently. He reached up to hold her wrist, gently taking her hand and bringing it to his mouth, kissing each one of her fingertips gently. She giggled again, biting her lip, and intertwined their fingers, bringing their hands to rest on the obtrusive armrest that lay between them. "Maybe we should concentrate on the movie," she whispered, the look in her eyes contradicting her words. "We might get in trouble."

Edward pulled her head gently down to lay on his shoulder and whispered teasingly into her ear.

"Alright. No getting into trouble... yet."

**~o0o~**

After the movie, they strolled hand in hand the short distance to the restaurant. Once again playing the gentleman role and pulling out her chair for her, Edward then sat down across from her, staring at her with a smile as she picked up the menu.

"What?" Bella asked, laughing.

Edward shook his head.

"I just like to watch you."

Bella gave him a quizzical look.

"Ok then, Stalkward..."

He pouted, and gently pretended to kick her under the table. She poked out her tongue, and Edward laughed as the young waitress approached the table with an unsure look.

"Hi, um, are you ready to order?"

Bella blushed and retracted her tongue, glowering at Edward.

"Uh, yes, I'll have the mushroom ravioli, please."

The waitress nodded, and turned to Edward.

"I'll have the same."

As they waited for their food to come, Bella couldn't help thinking about how different Edward was to Felix. Aside from maybe the first few weeks they were going out, Felix had never really shown a huge amount of interest in her life or how she was feeling. She should have known where that was headed... But even though she and Edward had only been together a week, they had known each other for long enough for her to sense this time how different it would be. Edward had always seemed to have an uncanny interest the most important thing in her life at the moment – her baby. Catching her eye across the table, Edward smiled.

"What are you thinking?"

"Just that I'm so lucky to have you," she said quietly, smiling deeply back at him, then pulled a slight face and laughed. "Was that too cheesy?"

He reached across the table for her hand, taking it and rubbing the top of it with his thumb gently.

"Of course not." He looked deeply into her eyes. "You're an amazing and strong woman, Bella. I feel so incredibly lucky to have you too."

She blushed, internally cursing the genes that made blushing come so quickly to her, and they both sat up straight as their food arrived and Bella's stomach growled hungrily. She laughed.

"I think somebody's getting impatient."

**~o0o~**

By the time they arrived back at Bella's apartment block, darkness was beginning to fall. Again, Edward ran quickly around the car to open Bella's door, extending a hand to help her out of the car as she tightly clutched the small paper bag containing the brownie had insisted upon buying for her after their meal, much to Bella's amusement. She curled into his side as they ascended the stairs, feeling a little tired after the day but unbelievable happy to be with Edward. At her door they stopped as Bella rooted in her purse for her keys.

"You coming inside for a while?"

Edward gave her a look of mock horror.

"That's a little forward for our first date, Bella!"

She slapped him lightly on the chest.

"You know what I meant." Edward's look didn't change. "Fine," she huffed, and then smiled, unable tonight to even pretend she was mad at him. "I had a really great time tonight, Edward."

He chuckled, and took both her hands in his.

"So did I, Bella."

She bit her lip and grinned up at him. He took a step towards her and ghosted his hands lightly up her arms, to her shoulders, finally cupping her face. With his thumb, he gently pulled her lip from between her teeth, making her breath hitch. Stooping down a little to reach her, he pressed his lips softly against hers. As their mouths moved together gently and without haste, his hands crossed her face to tangle briefly in her hair, and then began a slow, delicious descent of her body, finally coming to rest cheekily on her butt, pressing her and her bump into him tightly. Then, as quietly and slowly as the kiss had begun, Edward moved his hands back around and up to clasp hers again and slowly stepped away, breaking their contact. "Goodnight, Bella," he said, his face taken over by his crooked smile as she simply watched, breathless. "Pleasant dreams." He turned slowly and made his way back down the stairs, Bella watching him until he was out of sight before slowly unlocking her door and stepping inside in a dreamlike state, a huge grin plastered on her face as she closed the door and leaned back against it, the occasional giggle bubbling out from her lips, feeling like a school girl with her first crush.

**~o0o~**

"Edward, no, I'm trying to concentrate!" complained Bella, the smile on her face betraying her as her words were ignored by Edward and he continued his work on her exposed shoulder, kissing her skin with hot, open-mouthed kisses, interspersed with tiny nibbles and occasional sucking. "Edward!" she giggled.

"Hmm?" he mumbled without stopping, the sound causing vibrations on the skin under his mouth and making her shiver.

"You have to stop! If anyone saw us, we'd be in so much trouble!"

He sighed, finally releasing her from his mouth, and rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms coming around to encircle her belly from behind.

"What are you working on?"

Bella surveyed the mess of glue and colored paper that littered the teacher's desk in her first grade classroom.

"I'm not entirely sure," she mumbled, laughing. "Something fun to do for the last day of school before the kids go on vacation." The bell rang loudly and Bella stood up, turning in Edward's arms to poke him in the chest. "You need to leave." He nodded theatrically.

"Whatever you say, Miss Swan!"

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Mr Cullen, goodbye!" she laughed, getting goosebumps at the way that name sounded on her lips and stifling a giggle. The children began to traipse back into the classroom as Edward disappeared down the hall. They were all rather excited, hopped up on sugar from a party they'd had with the second graders before recess to celebrate the final day of school before summer vacation, and Bella could swear she felt a headache coming on at the mere thought of trying to control them when they were this excited. She sighed. At least it was only for a few hours. She began to try and bring some order to the mess on her desk, pushing her hair out of the way frustratedly as it fell over her shoulders.

"Miss Swan, Miss Swan, what happened to your neck?" asked Leah, open-mouthed, as she walked past Bella on the way to her seat.

Bella's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean, Leah? Nothing has happened to my neck."

Leah pointed upwards, jumping to try and get closer to point out what she was staring at.

"You have a big bruise there! Does it hurt?"

Bella put her hand up to her neck slowly, still confused, then suddenly blushed as she realized what Leah must be seeing. She ground her teeth, cursing Edward and his magic mouth, before flipping her hair back quickly over her shoulder and covering the mark.

"Um..." She thought frantically, her mind suddenly blank. "I... accidentally hit myself with my hairbrush when I was brushing my hair." She cringed inwardly at the unbelievably pathetic excuse, looking hopefully at Leah's wary face. "Silly me!"

Leah blinked, and shrugged, accepting Bella's excuse without another thought and continuing to her seat. Bella sighed in relief. Edward Cullen was going to pay.

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><p>(*whispers* yeah... to be honest I didn't actually even remember writing this chapter until I read over it just now... *hangs head in shame* : )

BUT, to end on an exciting note: You WANT to come back next week for chapter 24. _**TRUST ME. **_**_;)_**


	24. Chapter 24

*Glares angrily at .*  
>I swear, it's <em>not my fault <em>this chapter didn't go up last night. FFn wouldn't let me log in... :(

Anyhoosies, it's here now! :D And a long one again. :)

Now, this chapter actually probably _does _need a warning. FYI to younger readers, **this chapter probably stretches the 'T' rating quite a bit...** But a) I'm hoping you'll use your own discretion and skip bits of this chapter if you feel you need to, and b) I'm perfectly aware that a Twilighter/Fanfic reader will read whatever type of fics they want to, regardless of whether FFn has decided they are old enough or not. :L ;)

Finally, because I hate the idea of getting peoples hopes up only to crush them, I'm gonna go ahead and say you're quite possibly going to hate me after reading this. Depending on your perspective, it may or may not be worse than what Stephenie Meyer did...

AND NOW I'M GOING TO STOP SPOILERING AND LET YOU READ THE CHAPTER! :L

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 ~ 21 weeks<strong>

Bella leant against the side of a picnic bench, trying to peer unobtrusively into the school gym where Edward was working. Some of the kids didn't want to go to sleep-away camp this summer but still wanted something fun to do, so Principal Banner had decided to try a "stay at home" camp with the help of some enthusiastic parents, and of course Edward, who was always up for a challenge. She pushed off the table to stand up as Edward finished the class and the children came running out into the yard, grasping the table again slightly for balance as she wobbled a little and cursing her newly developing lack of centre of gravity. Edward strode out the door behind the kids and spotted Bella, his face breaking into a grin as he quickly came over to her.

"Hey there, beautiful," he murmured as he drew her into a hug, glancing round to ensure the children were distracted and planting a quick kiss on her lips. Bella felt herself swoon just a little.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

"Yup," he said, swinging his arm around her shoulders. "Bring on the summer!"

She laughed as they made their way towards her car. Alice had convinced them all not to waste what could be the only sunny day they saw that summer, and had virtually ordered them all to come to the beach with her, despite the fact that Jasper had to work so couldn't be there – although he had kindly given Edward a ride to the school that morning so he and Bella could ride to the beach together that afternoon.

Edward sighed as they reached her car and appraised her carefully.

"You going to let me drive?"

"Ha!" Bella laughed once. "Fat chance!"

They drove quickly to the beach, and bumped into Alice, Rosalie, and a loud, shirtless Emmett the minute they exited the car. Edward stared at Emmett, shaking his head.

"Dude. It's sunny, but it's only like 60 degrees. What the hell are you doing?"

"Pft!" Emmett crowed. "We're not all pussies like you Edward! Real men don't mind a little cold!"

Edward's jaw tightened and he shrugged. Bella groaned, knowing what was coming.

"Wasn't me I was worried about, Emmett," he said, quickly pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Just trying to look out for you." His skin immediately broke out into goosebumps, but Bella failed to notice as her eyes locked on the way his chest rippled as he threw his t-shirt back into her car, sending tingles down her spine as she licked her lips unconsciously. Rosalie poked her hard in the back.

"Stop perving!" she muttered, smirking. Bella blinked, surprised with herself, and shook her head.

"If he gets sick Emmett, that's all on you!"

Rosalie laughed as Alice grabbed both girls by the hands and dragged them down to the sand before Bella was finished ogling Edward, and Emmett grabbed a Frisbee from his car which he promptly flung at Edward, narrowly missing hitting him in the head as Edward threw his hand up just in time to catch it, swearing.

"Dude. You're dead."

The girls laughed as Edward chased Emmett down the beach to the water's edge, trying to tackle him to the ground. Bella eased herself down into the sand, leaning back on her arms and sighing as the sun warmed her face. Alice and Rosalie dropped down either side of her, Rosalie promptly stripping down to a hot pink bikini and tiny blue shorts whereupon she stretched out on a towel and complained every time a cloud passed over the weak sun.

**~o0o~**

About an hour later, Alice's phone suddenly pinged loudly with a text message. She grabbed it quickly, frowning as she pressed a few buttons, then her face lit up.

"Jasper found someone to cover for him, so he just got off work. He doesn't think he'll be able to make it up here for any worthwhile amount of time before he has to leave for his conference tomorrow in Seattle though..." She winked. "I bet I could make it home in time to make it worth his while!" Bella and Rosalie laughed at Alice's enthusiasm as she leapt up and raced to her car, not even bothering to say goodbye to Edward and Emmett who were finally making their way back up the beach, having finally braved the icy waters. Bella cringed away as Edward came running over to her, dripping, and Rosalie shrieked, her eyes still closed against the sun.

"Get away! You're making me wet!"

Edward pulled a face.

"Nope, not me!"

She opened her eyes as an equally cold and wet Emmett arrived and bent over, mercilessly picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder as she shrieked and kicked, and turned around, carrying her all the way back down to the ocean and dumping her in.

Bella shook a finger at Edward and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't you _dare _try that with me."

Edward threw up his hands, eyes wide and innocent, and grabbed a towel, rubbing it over his hair until it stood straight up then draping it over his shoulders and collapsing next to Bella.

"_God _it's cold out there!"

Bella laughed, then winced a little, bringing her hand back to massage her lower back. Edward was immediately concerned.

"You ok?"

She shrugged.

"My back's just getting a little stiff, that's all."

Edward frowned.

"Here, lean back against my chest. I'll take the weight off your back."

Bella shook her head quickly.

"Nuh-uh, you'll make me all wet!"

"Well damn," he said, giving her a cheeky grin, "I seem to be doing that to a lot of people today."

Bella rolled her eyes and flicked him in the forehead.

"Shut up, Edward."

He leaned over, encapsulating her in his arms and gently kissing the delicate patch of skin behind her ear that was exposed with her hair tied up loosely.

"Sorry," he mumbled into her, and she giggled despite herself, feeling the spark of electricity she always felt when Edward touched her rush around her body and grow rapidly. She turned her head, catching him unawares and kissing him on the lips. He hummed his approval as her hand went to his neck, pulling him closer, the towel slipping off his shoulders into the sand. Realizing the lack of obstruction that was usually offered by his shirt, her hand began to move downward, exploring the strong, hard muscles of his chest, then reaching his strongly defined abs. His skin, still damp from the ocean yet pressed close to her, all around her, made her shiver, a tingling burn beginning somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Edward, misreading her reaction, pulled back gently, looking up at the dark clouds that had begun to cover the sky.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he murmured. She nodded, wondering if he was feeling the same way as her. He stood up, dusting the sand off his shorts, and reached a hand out to her as she struggled a little to get up.

"Oof," she grunted. "That wasn't as easy as it used to be."

Edward smiled as she rested her hand on her belly.

"I don't think it's going to be getting any easier for a while, Bella. You might want to quit sitting on the ground for a few months."

She laughed a little, shivering again, this time because of the cold. They waved to Emmett and Rosalie, who were still waist deep in the water, and made their way quickly back up to Bella's car.

**~o0o~**

The ride back to town was a quiet one, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Bella concentrated hard on the road, trying to decide what to do about the fire that was still slowly burning inside of her, flashing brighter every time she glimpsed Edward out of the corner of her eye. His bare chest disappearing back under his t-shirt when they had gotten into the car. His long, thin fingers as they ran through his hair, trying his best to tame it. His eyes, shining brightly whenever he caught her eye and smiled. She slowed as she reached the red traffic lights just before her apartment. On impulse, she spoke.

"Do you want to hang out for a while?"

Edward grinned.

"Hell yeah. I'm not ready to go back to my lovely little apartment just yet."

The first droplets of rain began to spatter to the ground just as they stepped inside Bella's building. As Bella unlocked her door, she could feel Edward's hot breath on her neck as he stood behind her. They walked through the door and she turned to close it, locking eyes within him. Suddenly the slow-burning fire became a furnace, flowing all over her body, and she knew what she wanted to do. Without saying a word she reached up, pulling his face down and kissing him hard. She felt him smile at first at her enthusiasm, his hands quickly moving down her body and coming to rest on what seemed to be his favorite place, her butt, but soon his breathing started to become heavier and his kisses more urgent. He gently moved his legs, never breaking the kiss, and walked her backwards in the direction of the couch. Bella felt the back of the couch bump the small of her back softly, and allowed her hands to run down Edward's t-shirt until they reached the waistband of his shorts. Slipping her fingers under his shirt, she began to move them slowly upward again, feeling Edward's breath hitch as she passed the soft fuzz that hinted at treasures yet to be discovered. She moved her hands higher, his shirt wrinkling and raising with her hands as she went. Breaking the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, she raised his t-shirt higher, her eyes locked with his, hooded with lust. He raised his arms, allowing her to quickly pull off his shirt and let it drop to the floor, but his hands quickly came back around her, holding her tight as he realized where her thoughts were. He looked deeply into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" he said quietly, his voice so caring yet carrying an unmistakable undertone of desire.

Bella nodded, not wanting to break the moment with her breathless voice. Edward paused still.

"Please," she whispered, and his mouth was immediately pressed back onto hers, urgent and delicious. Her arms were tight around his neck, the smell of him everywhere, filling her nostrils, intoxicating. He gently began to walk her backwards again, never breaking his contact, and Bella soon found herself being pushed gently down to sit on her bed. Her heart beating hard, she allowed Edward to prop her against the pillows. He then proceeded to carefully lay down next to her, propping himself on his elbow as he gazed into her eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Bella," he whispered as he placed hot kisses all over her face, his hand slowly moving down her side, caressing her, brushing delicately past her breast and making her breath hitch as it continued down, tugging at the hem of her t-shirt so it pulled up enough to show just an inch of taut skin. Moving himself down her body, he placed a gentle kiss on the area of exposed skin, and moved her t-shirt up another inch. Slowly, he worked the material up and over her gently rounding belly, kissing as he went, leaving no millimeter neglected as he caressed with his warm hands the parts his mouth didn't reach. Finally he had uncovered her whole belly, and knelt back to admire his work. "So beautiful," he repeated softly. Bella, becoming impatient, took his hand, pulling his face back up to her mouth. She reached down softly and toyed with the drawstring on his shorts, and he groaned gutturally in response. "I think," he whispered breathily in her ear, "that would make us a little uneven at this point. Don't you?" She nodded, her mind clouded in a haze of lust as she stretched her arms above her head so he could finally remove her t-shirt. She arched her back as he reached behind her, unhooking her bra, his fingers raising goosebumps on her excited skin. She moaned softly as she felt his heavy breath on her, and wondered vaguely how she had managed to wait this long before having Edward here with her, before succumbing once again to the pleasures of his hot mouth.

**~o0o~**

Bella was awoken the next day by Edward placing feather-light kisses all over her body as the sun once again streamed in through her bedroom window, covering her face.

"Good morning, sleepy head," he murmured, looking up to see that she was awake, his mouth doing things to her body that made her insides tingle. She blushed as memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. His hot mouth. His hands, everywhere. His magic fingers. All of him. She giggled and moaned as his kisses ran tantalizingly up her bare chest to finally reach her jaw. "I'm sorry to wake you," he whispered, "but I just couldn't help myself. You're so..." He hummed contentedly into her throat. "Mouth-watering." He laughed quietly. "And it _is _lunch time." Bella's eyes widened as she glanced lazily over at the clock on her bedside table.

"Oh my God," she moaned. "I can't believe I slept that long!" Her stomach grumbled loudly as if to reinforce her point, and she laid a hand on it, staring at it idly as Edward traced patterns on it slowly with one long, slender finger. Her belly seemed to get bigger every time she looked at it these days, as if the baby had suddenly decided it was time for an even faster growth spurt. As if knowing what she was thinking, the baby suddenly gave a strong nudge just beneath Edward's fingers. He smiled, kissing the same spot gently.

"Hello, baby."

Suddenly, a loud banging on Bella's apartment door tore them both out of their reverie. Bella sat up like a bullet, an annoyed and worried look on her face.

"Dammit!"

Edward looked concerned and confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot I promised Alice she could take me summer clothes shopping today." Bella swung her legs quickly off the bed, grabbing her robe frantically and slipping into it, swearing as she ran quickly into the living room.

"Bella Marie Swan, you open up this door _right now_!"

Bella fumbled frantically with the lock, finally managing to swing the door open to an extremely pissed Alice.

"What the hell, Bella? I've been ringing you for hours! At this rate we're hardly going to have time to visit _any _shops! I mean, you – " She stopped short, suddenly taking in Bella's attire. "Did you _seriously _just get out of bed? It's 1:30 in the afternoon, Bella!"

Bella blushed.

"Um..."

At that moment, Edward appeared sheepishly from Bella's room, having managed to rescue his shorts from wherever Bella had flung them last night.

"Morning, Alice," he mumbled, retreating quickly to the kitchen. Alice's annoyed face moved quickly to realization and settled on a knowing smirk.

"Good morning, _Edward_," she called, wiggling her eyebrow at Bella. Bella blushed again. "Ten minutes, Bella. Get dressed, eat something, and meet me outside. And next time I won't be so understanding." She spun on her heel and disappeared quickly across the hall to her own apartment, and Bella closed the door, turning around and grinning guiltily at Edward as he stuck his head back out into the living room.

"She's going to kill me," she laughed, running quickly back into her room to get dressed before the demented pixie returned.

**~o0o~**

"So..." Alice began as soon as Bella had closed the car door. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Bella, looking at her expectantly.

"What?" Bella blushed, trying to play innocent.

"Oh don't give me that crap, Bella."

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine," snapped Alice, training her eyes on the road as she started the engine. She began to sing quietly to herself. "Edward and Bella, sitting in a tree, f-u-c – "

"Alright, alright!" said Bella loudly, blushing again. Alice grinned.

"So, you and Edward finally got there, huh?"

Bella nodded sheepishly, grinning despite herself.

"It was so amazing, Al. He's just so..." She thought of the scarce few times in the last few years she had slept with Felix, with varying degrees of willingness. "It wasn't just about the sex with Edward. He was so kind, and so gentle... It was making love."

Alice groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Cheese alert!"

Bella pouted.

"You know what I mean, Alice."

Alice smiled kindly.

"Welcome to an adult relationship based on equality and trust, Bella. You're finally getting what you deserve." Her good-natured laugh tinkled in the air as they made their way quickly across town.

True to Alice form, they shopped until Bella was literally ready to drop, having to remind Alice firmly that if she ended up collapsing, there were a number of people who would ensure Alice never saw the light of day again. They pulled up outside their apartment block as the smells of dinner floated up from the pizzeria on the opposite side of the street. They parted at the top of the stairs, and as Bella unlocked her door, she heard the unmistakable sound of someone clattering around in her kitchen. Edward appeared into the living room, a welcoming smile on his face. Bella grinned, a little surprised.

"You're still here!"

Edward shrugged, still smiling.

"I had nowhere else I needed to be." He stretched out his arms and she ran giddily over to him, embracing him as he kissed her forehead tenderly. "Your timing is perfect. Dinner's just ready."

She laughed once in surprise as he returned to the kitchen, laying plates and forks on the table.

They ate happily, Bella eventually kicking off her shoes under the table and running her toes gently up Edward's shin. He smirked.

"I do declare you're getting frisky, Bella!"

She snorted and moved to pick up their dishes and bring them to the sink, but Edward stopped her.

"I'll do that. You just go and relax."

She raised her eyebrows, but obeyed him, padding softly in her socks into the living room and perching on the couch, curling her feet up under her. She looked around the room, confused.

"Edward..."

"Hm?"

"Did you clean up in here?"

He chortled.

"I might have."

Bella's eyes widened and she laughed.

"Oh wow. You cook, you clean... You didn't start making a happy yellow nursery while I was out too, did you?"

He came into the room, flopping down on the couch next to Bella and planting an errant kiss on her belly.

"Not quite yet," he answered, grinning. She leaned into him, running her fingers slowly up and down his thigh, getting higher and closer to his waist each time. He growled as she finally began pulling at the drawstring of the shorts he still wore, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her over to him, laughing deeply. "I've unleashed a monster!"

She giggled softly, walking her fingers up his chest to finally reach his cheek, and pulled him gently towards her for a kiss. She pulled back, her eyes locked with his deep, loving ones, and her heart clenched as she thought about how right this all felt.

"Edward..."

He shook his head, leaning back in to cover her lips with his.

"Me first," he murmured, as she sighed softly into his mouth. He pulled back again just a few inches, and looked at her. "Bella, I know everything with us has suddenly started happening so fast. And I know you have some crazy huge stuff happening in your life already." He rubbed slow, gentle circles around her belly. "But I can't help the feeling that what we're doing... just seems so exactly right. It's like from the moment I first met you, you – and now your baby – were the only people who mattered to me." He gazed at her. "I know this is fast, and we should probably be trying to slow down and just see how it goes instead of rushing into everything like this, but it just feels so right, so..."

"...Perfect," finished Bella softly, smiling as he stroked her face gently, nodding. "I know what you mean, Edward; I feel the same. I don't think I've ever felt like this about anyone, not even..." She paused. "Not _anyone_."

He smiled softly, touching her lips gently with his once, then again, her breath hot against his mouth as they melted into each other gently on the couch.

* * *

><p>(I'm just gonna go hide under this rock over here until next week because that was the first time I've ever written anything even vaguely citrus-y and it makes me squirm and giggle awkwardly... Which is kind of ridiculous since I've *read* pretty much *everything*... :L )<p>

**Important note: **As those who reviewed during the week and only received a reply today may gather, I've been seriously snowed under with college work lately. In addition to this, I will also be on a lifeguard training course all next weekend, so I'm giving you fair warning: It's not inconceivable that chapter 25 might not be up until MONDAY of next week, instead of Sunday... bBut check on Sunday just in case! :L)


	25. Chapter 25

Snaps for me managing to get this chapter up before slowly and painfully crawling upstairs to bed! (anyone who's ever done an intensive 2-day lifeguarding refresher course after not having swam at all for 2 years knows my pain... :L )

This chapter almost has equal parts "uh-oh" and _"oh yeahhh... ;)"_ except that the "uh-oh" part is small and the other part, well... ;)  
>(Requiring another warning that <strong><span>the end of this chapter *probably* stretches the "T" rating again...<span>**)

Aaaaaanyway... Enjoy! ;P

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25 ~ 24 weeks<strong>

_"This week, your baby is about as tall as an ear of corn – but almost as slender, too. His or her taste buds are forming, and she or he may even be developing a sweet tooth!"_

Bella's eyes roamed over the page in front of her in fascination. A sweet tooth? Not _her _baby. Nope, the only thing her baby wanted right now was a nice, sour, salty...

"Open up, I come bearing pickles!" Bella grinned and clambered off the couch, rushing to the door to let Edward in. She snatched the jar hungrily from his hand without so much as a "hello", licking her lips in anticipation as he laughed. He bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, smiling as she distractedly pulled away after a second and went back to wresting with the lid of the jar. "Morning, Bells." He took the jar from her frustrated hands and quickly twisted the lid, opening it with a loud pop, and she grinned ruefully at him as he handed it back to her.

"Thanks."

He laughed as he stepped inside and closed the heavy door behind him, quietly appraising her as she walked back to the couch, turning her head back to make sure he was following. He winked.

"Nice pajamas." She giggled and pretended to wiggle her butt as she reached the couch, grabbing his hands and pulling him down onto it with her. He eyed the open book on the table as his arms went around her, his lips ghosting over her collar bone as his hands caressed her belly. "How's baby today?"

She sighed, smiling as she leaned into him happily.

"Energetic." She laughed as the baby kicked as if in response, drawing gentle swirls on her stomach with one finger while Edward played with her hair. They sat for a few minutes in comfortable silence, until Bella scowled and began reluctantly to extricate herself from Edward's arms. "I should probably go get dressed. Rose asked Al and I to go down to the salon today so a couple of her new stylists could practice on us."

Edward raised his eyebrows as he allowed his hand to slip down her arm and his fingers to intertwine with hers.

"Donating yourselves to rookie hairdressers? That's brave."

Bella laughed.

"I only agreed on the condition that it didn't involve any cutting or coloring, so any mistakes were no big deal. Strictly updos and down dos only."

Edward smirked, and without letting go of her hand, followed her up off the couch and into her bedroom, flopping down onto his back on her bed as she opened her closet and surveyed her clothes thoughtfully. He watched her as she stood with her back to him, pulling her pajama top over her head, the muscles in her smooth back moving subtly. He felt his relaxed grin form briefly into a pout as her bare skin disappeared once again under a casual t-shirt, and almost laughed at himself. An unmarked cardboard box in the back of Bella's closet caught his eye.

"What's in there?" He waved one foot in the direction of the box. Bella paused while rifling through her sock drawer and looked where he indicated, confused.

"Oh! I'd forgotten about that. It must be one of the boxes Alice helped me pack when..." She trailed off, a strange look flashing across her face. She shook her head quickly, taking a deep breath and continuing a little more quietly. "When I left Felix." Edward immediately sat up and scooted to the end of the bed, eyeing her cautiously, but she shook her head again and smiled quickly at him. "When I got here I just ended up unpacking clothes as I needed them. I guess I never really wore whatever's left in there!" Her eyes thanked him as he squeezed her hand reassuringly and she sat on the bed next to him to pull on her socks. "If you want to be useful, you could always unpack it for me...!"

Edward laughed, standing up and smirking at her.

"Your wish is my command!" he said theatrically, reaching into the closet and pulling out the heavy box. Bella laughed as he began piling the contents onto the bed.

"Oh man. I haven't worn most of this stuff since the beginning of college!" She peered down at the belly which protruded in front of her, enclosed in the stretchy fabric of her maternity t-shirt. "I guess I won't be wearing it any time soon either."

Edward stood up as he placed the last item from the box on top of the pile next to Bella.

"Right, what's next?" he joked, pretending to flex his muscles. He glanced down at Bella when she made no comment, to see her gazing transfixed at the dark purple University of Washington hoodie that lay on top of the pile, a hint of fear building in her eyes. "Bella?" He crouched down next to her. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She took a deep, shaking breath, but her quiet voice was even and calm.

"That's Felix's." She tore her eyes away from the hoodie and looked down at her bump, her child, _Felix's_ child, as Edward began to put his arm around her gently, trying to comfort her but not knowing what to say. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a second, then stood up, out of Edward's arms, determined. "It's fine." Her voice was quiet but firm. Sure. This was ridiculous. She didn't need to feel anything about Felix any more. Edward still looked concerned.

"Bella, are you sure? It's alright..."

She nodded her head, a small smile breaking cautiously onto her face.

"No, I'm ok." She swallowed. "Just... Get rid of it for me, Edward." She looked up at him. "Please?"

**~o0o~**

The morning's non-incident almost completely forgotten, Bella sank into the salon chair, fighting back moans of pleasure as one of Rosalie's assistants massaged shampoo into her hair with expert fingers. Peeking through almost-closed eyelids, she spied Rosalie smirking at her with a look that said she knew exactly how Bella was feeling and found it hilarious.

"Don't judge me, Rose!" she mumbled. "Your people know how to give a damn good head massage!" She felt the assistant chortling by her head as Alice commented languidly from the sink next to her.

"I would laugh at you Bella, but... It's sooo truuue...!"

Rosalie laughed at them both, and glanced at her watch just as her two new stylists pushed open the salon door.

"Perfect timing!" She introduced them all as Bella and Alice had their hair quickly blow-dried, then wheeled out a trolley of what Bella had come to know – being Rosalie's friend for a long as she had – somewhat affectionately as 'torture tools'. "Now ladies, show me what you can do!"

Bella closed her eyes nervously and told herself to go to her happy place as she felt the first scraping on her scalp, wincing as the pins pulled at her hair. This was all in the name of beauty, right? A couple hours later, she breathed a sigh of relief as Rose finally decided that was enough for one day, and swung around in her seat, following Alice to the few chairs scattered outside in the weak summer sunshine as Rosalie nipped across the road for the ice creams she'd promised them – on Alice's insistence – as "reimbursement". She came back with three huge chocolate concoctions, laughing at the look of glee on Alice's face as she took hers, and settled down next to Bella, throwing her head back in a vain attempt to get some sun on her face.

They chatted idly, watching the passers-by with no great interest until a woman with a tiny, newborn baby seated herself at a table outside the café on the street opposite them. Alice and Rosalie, squinting, cooed over it, debating whether or not it would be inappropriate to cross the street just to get closer; and Bella watched as its mother cradled it carefully, waving a teddy bear in its face as she talked to it quietly. As real as she thought her pregnancy felt, it was still hard to believe that in a few short months, she too would be holding a tiny baby just like that. She bit her lip, trying not to think of the crushingly huge responsibility that would bring. Could she be a good mother to her child?

Alice nudged her, smiling as she saw Bella watching the baby intently.

"That'll be you soon, eh, Bells?"

Bella shook herself out of her reverie. No use worrying about something that was so far away just yet. She laughed.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'soon', Al. I've still got a whole sixt..." She trailed off. Her face paled and her eyes widened, and she turned to look at Alice in astonishment as it hit her. "Oh my God. I only have another _sixteen weeks_ until my due date!" She grabbed her belly, looking down at it in horror. Suddenly, it wasn't that long at all. Rosalie laughed.

"Reality check, Bella – sixteen weeks is going to fly by! Your little bundle of joy is going to be out in this world before you know it."

Bella's brow wrinkled with worry as she looked around. How had time gone so fast? She caught the eye of the mom across the street, who had just wrapped a pink fleece blanket around her daughter to protect her from the chilly breeze. The woman nodded at her in acknowledgement and smiled warmly, seeing Bella's hands still unconsciously cradling her belly, as if to say, it all turns out ok in the end.

**~o0o~**

Bella lowered herself carefully onto the couch as Edward hung up her light jacket. Flopping down next to her and making her jump, he lay his head softly on her knees as she giggled, running her fingers through his tousled hair. He sighed, the side of his cheek pressed up against her round belly.

"Man, I'm stuffed."

Bella snorted.

"That's what you get for ordering the biggest dish on the menu for yourself even when you were _told _it could feed two people!"

"Yeah, but..." Edward pouted. "I was hungry!" Bella laughed, and the baby chose that moment to kick rather viciously in the exact spot where Edward's face was. He scowled as she laughed harder. "Now both of you are ganging up on me?" The baby squirmed against Edward's cheek again as he spoke and he turned his head to face her belly, gently poking the spot where some part of the baby had been protruding a little just seconds ago. "You're just jealous I still managed to finish my dessert so there was none left for you." Bella laughed heartily and rolled her eyes, as Edward began walking his fingers lightly up and down her stomach, starting slowly and then getting quicker. She giggled, squirming and pushing his hand away.

"That tickles!"

He smirked, doing it one last time before planting a loving kiss on her navel and pushing himself up to a sitting position beside her. He groaned, patting his own stomach.

"Oh man, I'm in pain. Don't ever let me eat that much again!"

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Aw, poor baby, want me to kiss it better for you?" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her, but his looked turned to confusion and disappointment when she kissed her fingers and then touched them briefly to his stomach. She smirked and shrugged, patting her belly. "Can't bend over that far."

He growled and leaned forward, burying his face in her neck as one hand twisted in her hair and caressed her scalp.

"There are always ways to work around these things, Bella."

She yawned exaggeratedly.

"You know Edward, I'm kind of tired..."

He rolled his eyes and suddenly moved away from her, standing up and making her shriek and giggle when he grabbed her hands and pulled her up quickly too, pulling her flush with his body once more – as flush as she could be with the inconvenient bump that protruded in front of her. His hands ran over her body, exploring her as he bent down so his mouth was level with her ear, his tongue flicking her earlobe gently.

"Since throwing you over my shoulder is out of the question," he murmured, his breath tickling her cheek, "you have two options: I can carry you bridal style, or you can decide to walk of your own free will." His hands reached the hem of her t-shirt and she felt his fingers creeping up the warm skin of her back. "The former," he continued, his fingers now toying with the clasp of her bra, "would mean that my hands were otherwise occupied, delaying this entire process. The latter..." He smirked as he felt her lips press hungrily against his, cutting him off, and followed eagerly as she dragged him across the room, finally stopping and pulling him roughly onto her bed as he lifted her t-shirt over her head and threw it aimlessly behind him.

"Hey," she murmured breathlessly as his lips painted fire onto her burning skin, her bra now keeping her t-shirt company. "Do you want to stay over tonight?"

His reply was muffled as he buried his face in her chest.

"Yes, I absolutely do."

She laughed, her laugh turning to a moan as his fingers found their way further south.

* * *

><p>(*cue more cringing and hiding in a corner from me...*)<p>

FYI, next week's chapter may or may not have some slightly harsh words... #JustSayin

Let me know what you think! :D :*}


	26. Chapter 26

Every week, I look at the traffic stats for Learning to Live, and every week, the ever-increasing number of hits this little story gets continues to just... blow my mind. **ILY all. :*}**

One thing that was asked in the reviews - Learning to Live is 31 chapters in total, plus an epilogue [so we're slowly, slowly tiptoeing towards the end... :( ].

Now, however, allow me to introduce... Doucheward and Douchella! :/  
>Hope you enjoy chapter 26! :)<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26 ~ 27 weeks<strong>

"You know, you don't _have _to help me with this, Edward."

Edward rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Bella, I _want _to." He fished in his back pocket and produced a slightly crumpled piece of paper covered in complicated sketches and detailed notes. "Besides, since Alice is out of town, she's left me with extremely precise instructions which she has ordered me to make _sure _you follow." He winked as Bella sighed, grumbling, grabbing the piece of paper and tossing it back into the car before closing the door and locking up.

"Alice can go to hell," she muttered. Edward raised an eyebrow. Bella shook her head and took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "Sorry." She ran a hand wearily through her hair. "But if Alice is going to skip out and go to some fancy-schmancy opening party on the other side of the state while I'm stuck here organizing a nursery for this little bub –" she patted her belly affectionately "– then she doesn't get a say in how I do it." She turned reluctantly towards the entrance to the store. "Come on, then. Let's get it over with." She grabbed Edward's hand and set off with determination, ignoring his amused expression. It was going to be one of those days.

The minute they entered the store they were accosted by a young, energetic looking salesperson.

"Hi! My name is Anna! Is there something specific you're looking for today that I can help you with?"

Edward took one glance at the stormy expression on Bella's face – shopping not being her favorite thing at the best of times, today she seemed to be particularly grumpy and had complained that the baby had kept her awake a lot of the night with its not-so-gentle gymnastics – and quickly answered.

"Thanks, but we're ok for the moment. We'll let you know of we need any help." His arm tightly around Bella's waist, he quickly steered her towards the children's furniture section of the store. She scowled at him.

"What did you send her away for?" she hissed under her breath. "If she helped us we could have been out of here in ten minutes!"

"Yeah, and you'd end up with the ugliest and most expensive stuff in the store, Bells," Edward replied patiently.

"Whatever." Bella sighed, frustrated, but immediately turned back to Edward with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Edward, I didn't mean to get mad at you." She bit her lip. "I guess I'm just tired and cranky and hormonal and dreading spending the rest of the day fighting with flatpack furniture and broken screwdrivers."

Edward squeezed her hand.

"It's ok, Bells, I get it. You know I'm just trying to help." He gave her a half grin. "How about I do most of the DIY fighting, ok?"

She nodded, still feeling bad for snapping at him like that, and allowed him to lead her to the back of the store.

**~o0o~**

Bella stroked the arm of a wooden rocking chair in awe.

"It's so pretty..." she murmured, transfixed by the image of herself sitting in it, serenely rocking her baby as it slept.

"Oh come on, Bella," Edward scoffed. "You _know _you would never actually use it."

Bella looked hurt.

"There was always a rocking chair in my bedroom when I was a kid, Edward."

Edward sighed exasperatedly.

"Yeah, but was it ever _used_?"

Bella turned away in a huff, walking to the other side of the aisle where stacks of boxes were piled next to a jumbled display of cribs and cradles.

"How about this one?" She pointed to one at random, feeling uninterested – despite Alice's assurances the previous day that she would _enjoy _it because it meant 'preparing for her new arrival' – and just wanting to go home and have a nap. Edward eyed it briefly.

"That'll fall apart before we're even finished assembling it." He glanced around, walking over to a chunky – and in Bella's opinion, rather ugly – crib. "This one is much sturdier."

Bella's eyes widened briefly. He had a nerve! This was _her _baby, so all of this stuff should be _her _decision. She sighed as she rubbed her temples, berating herself for getting cranky with him again. To tell the truth, he was probably right – the first crib _did _look like it might have been made out of cardboard. She tried to compromise.

"This one is nice," she said, touching a pale crib in the corner. "It looks strong enough to withstand this baby's gymnastics if they keep up like this once it's born!" She tried to smile, rubbing her belly and as the baby nudged her ribs hard.

"Sure, whatever you want." Edward gave her a brief smile and searched for the corresponding flatpack box, lugging it onto an abandoned cart he found in the corner. "What's next?"

"I need a dresser..." she mumbled, looking around and choosing to ignore Edward's tone. She guessed she wasn't the only one getting fed up. She scowled as she saw the collection of pink and blue children's dressers. "Don't they have anything in a neutral color?"

"What about that one?" Edward pointed to a flashy-looking teak nursery set.

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll get that as soon as I win the lottery, Edward. Jeeze..." she said to herself, shaking her head in frustration and spying their earlier friendly salesperson. "Miss, do you have anything that's not pink or blue?"

If the salesperson was offended by Bella's short tone or cranky expression, she didn't show it.

"We sure do! If you want to follow me, I'll show you our affordable unpainted pine range of family furniture. And you can go ahead and call me Anna," she reminded them with a chirpy smile.

"You can go ahead and call me Anna!" mimicked Bella quietly, pulling a face behind the woman's back as they set off across the store, Edward shooting her a disapproving look.

**~o0o~**

By the time the long drive back to Bella's apartment was over they were both feeling a little better. Edward had offered to drive, and Bella had managed to nap for half an hour or so and was feeling somewhat brighter, although the thought of spending the afternoon assembling her new furniture still made her shudder. She held the door open for Edward as he heaved the final box into her living room, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thanks, Edward. Are you sure you have time to stay and help me put it all together?"

He grimaced theatrically.

"That's what I promised. Now let the torture begin!" He pulled the first box into the small room Bella had first thought she would use as a study, and Bella fetched the small toolkit she had borrowed from Emmett and followed him in.

"Is that the crib? I was thinking it could go over there under the window."

Edward nodded at her absentmindedly.

"Right."

He began to unpack the box, laying all the pieces out carefully on the floor and surveying them before asking her for a screwdriver and setting to work.

"Um... Don't you think we should read the instructions first?" Bella suggested warily, kneeling on the ground laboriously to join him. Edward sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Ok, _mom_."

"Edward, don't start," began Bella tiredly, but Edward ignored her, reluctantly glancing at the piece of paper with its simple, numbered steps. Grumbling, he put down one of the pieces of wood he was holding and picked up a different one.

Bella passed him tools and read out the instructions, trying to be helpful, but she could see him getting more and more frustrated each time she made a comment – which in turn made her annoyed and wonder what he was still doing here if she was getting on his nerves so much. Finally, the crib was finished and they stood up, Edward pushing it firmly in against the wall. Bella winced as it shuddered under his force.

"Be _careful,_ Edward, I don't want to have to go all the way back to that store for a new one if you break this one!"

He scoffed.

"It's fine, Bella, look." He shook it lightly again, causing Bella to grit her teeth in annoyance, but she forced herself not to say anything. "What's next?"

"How about the dresser?" she said as she moved the now empty box towards the door. "I was thinking it could go there at the end of the crib."

Edward shook his head as he looked at the space.

"You'd never be able to open the drawers if you put it in there, Bells. It would work much better over here on the other side of the room."

Bella frowned in frustration.

"No, it'll be fine over by the crib." She saw Edward open his mouth to argue and spoke over him quickly, her voice beginning to rise. "Look, just put it over there, ok? If it doesn't work once we're, we can move it then!"

Edward's lips thinned in annoyance and he began to open the box without saying a word. Bella sighed. Why did this day have to be so full of them bickering? According to all the books, she was supposed to be having fun, getting everything ready for when her baby arrived in a horrifyingly short thirteen weeks, but all that was happening was that her and Edward were both getting tired, frustrated and more and more on each other's nerves, and the nursery was going to end up becoming more a place of hate than happiness. She could feel a headache coming on.

She leant against the window ledge as Edward began to work on the dresser next, leaning over his shoulder and trying to help.

"Doesn't that piece go in there?" she murmured, earning a glare from Edward as he turned briefly in her direction, three nails held tightly between his lips. He took one in his hand and dropped the others to the floor.

"No," he said as he systematically began to hammer in the nail he was holding. "I need that piece for later."

"Oh," said Bella quietly, but in her head she wasn't quite as calm. Was Edward PMSing or something? She twirled the screwdriver thoughtfully between her fingers, grasping at it as it suddenly slipped from her hand and fell to the floor with a loud clatter that caused Edward to jump, almost hammering his finger.

"Jesus, Bella!"

She bit her lip, bending down to pick up the screwdriver.

"Sorry."

He sighed heavily.

"Look, maybe it's better if you just let me do this by myself," he said patronizingly. "It's not difficult, and I'd finish quicker if I didn't have you hovering over my shoulder the whole time." He looked at her expectantly. Bella ground her teeth angrily. She had only been trying to help.

"Edward, if you don't want to be here, just go home! I told you you didn't _have _to help me today, and you'd obviously rather be somewhere else."

Edward rolled his eyes impatiently.

"I've started, so I'll finish. Just go take a nap or something. Maybe you'll wake up less crabby," he added under his breath, but Bella knew he knew she heard him.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed loudly. "Fine, do it yourself!"

She stalked out of the room and flopped onto the couch in the living room. What the hell was up _his _ass? She knew she was a _little _irritable today, but that was no need to just go off at her like that!

**~o0o~**

Twenty minutes later, just as her eyes were starting to close and her headache beginning to recede, she heard Edward calling her.

"Bells, could you come here and give me a hand for a minute?"

She snorted, and sat upright.

"Oh, _now _you want my help?" she called back tersely. She heard Edward coming noisily out of the room and stood up, walking over to him as he appeared.

"Jeeze, Bella, I'm doing this as a favor to you, the least you can do is give me a bit of help!"

Bella felt herself snap as the day's bickering finally overwhelmed her, and her voice began to rise.

"My God, Edward, what are you, bipolar? First you tell me to butt the hell out, now you're complaining that I won't come back and help you?"

She saw Edward being pushed over the edge as she was and he began to rant, the anger and annoyance clear on his face.

"_I'm _bipolar? You're the one who's been biting my face off every time I so much as say one word! And _don't _try and blame pregnancy hormones!" he said loudly when he saw Bella begin to open her mouth. "Man, you need to get a _grip_!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, the unexpected movement so close to her making Bella jump, and before she realized what she was doing she found herself cowering in fear, her eyes closed, words whimpering out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"_Please don't hit me..._"

Edward's face paled and he was at her side in an instant, every ounce of his anger and frustration immediately forgotten as his arms wrapped tightly and protectively around her, tears beginning to trickle down her face.

"Oh Bella, no, baby, no... Shh, it's ok..." He rocked her gently as they sank unsteadily onto the couch. "No, Bella, I would never, _ever_ hit you. You know that. Nobody is evergoing to hurt you again, I promise... I'm so sorry, Bells, I didn't mean to frighten you... You know I could never hurt you..." Bella sobbed, and tried to shake her head as he stroked her hair soothingly.

"No, Edward... I'm sorry... I know you would never hurt me, I don't know why I... I mean, I don't know..." A huge sob racked her body as she tried to continue, tears streaming down her face now. "How is Felix _still _able to ruin my life after six long months? I'm so sorry I'm damaged goods, Edward..." She whimpered, her body heaving as her tears continued.

"Bella, you're not damaged goods, and I've never thought of you like that," whispered Edward gently into her ear, one hand rubbing wide, soothing circles on her back. "You can't expect to recover from all the things that m..." He glanced down at her belly nervously, knowing the baby sometimes responded to sounds now. "...onster put you through just like that, no matter how much you pretend to yourself. These things take time and effort, but I'll always be here to support you. Bells..." He looked at her curiously then smiled sadly. "I love you." She whimpered, her eyes widening through her tear-soaked lashes as he continued without letting her respond. "And I know _he _told you that too, but that heathen doesn't know the first thing about love. Bella, we're just having a bad day. Everybody has bad days once in a while, and then they get over it and everything is alright again. I promise," he whispered, touching his lips ever so softly to hers, "everything is going to be alright."

Bella felt her tears soaking into Edward's shirt as he held her. They were silent for a few minutes, until Bella took a shaky breath and tried to speak.

"Edward..."

Edward placed a finger gently on her lips.

"It's ok, Bella. You don't have to say anything."

She shook her head, taking his hand and pulling it from her mouth gently.

"Thank you," she said softly. She tried to wipe her dried tears with back of her hand, and sniffed. "I'm sorry..." Her voice fell to a whisper. "I love you."

Edward's arms tightened around her as he hugged her, still rocking her gently as he kissed her hair.

* * *

><p>Yup... so we got some serious shizz going down this chapter... : BUT the all-important "ILY"s too... :)

Make sure to check back next Sunday, because chapter 27 is IMPORTANT.

:D


	27. Chapter 27

So this is kind of a big (theme-wise) chapter, for me at least... I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll see you down below for a de-briefing. :P

One other thing, that Rachel asked in the reviews last week... PSH, as if I'm going to let that secret out! :P :L

Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27 ~ 29 weeks<strong>

Bella lay half-awake in the early morning hours, thinking. Edward's body rose and fell under her rhythmically with his breaths, her leg hitched over his hips as he provided support for her ever enlarging belly, more comfortable – for all three of them – than any pillow. She couldn't believe there were only eleven tiny weeks from today until her due date. Time seemed to have flown by, her relationship with Edward whirlwinding, but in the best way possible – recently, he had been spending more nights with her than without her, still refusing to let her spend any length of time in his teratogen-infested apartment on the outskirts of town, and it couldn't feel more right. With Felix... the man whose name she cursed more than the devil... there had always been a hidden uneasiness, even at the beginning, a misinterpreted sense that something was missing and that their entire relationship could be cleanly cut with the smallest action. But with Edward, she felt like he was an integral part of her. Aside from – or perhaps in addition to – her unborn child, he was her life now, a necessary being in her existence, and she in his. Even though they had only realized their shared feelings for each other halfway through her pregnancy, she knew their relationship had been building strongly since they had first met.

Now, Edward began to stir, and she shifted and rolled her body carefully off him, feeling huge but knowing she had a ways to go yet. Edward blinked blearily at her and smiled.

"Morning, beautiful," he mumbled sleepily, and she laughed softly at his ever-present morning greeting, stretching her arms above her head and wiggling her toes as she woke her body up. Within minutes she felt an all-too-familiar pressure in her bladder and groaned, rolling to the side of the bed and swinging her legs down, huffing a little as she pushed herself up and padded softly to the bathroom for the first of her many daily trips.

**~o0o~**

After breakfast, Bella and Edward strolled to the park with Alice and Rosalie, meeting Jasper and Emmett there. The summer was almost at an end, and they wanted to relax and enjoy the not-too-overcast day before the real Washington weather returned and Edward and Bella went back to work in the elementary school – Bella for just a few weeks. The girls sat on a park bench while Emmett, Jasper and Edward casually threw a ball around on the grass, joking with each other and occasionally teaming up and tackling the other to the ground. Bella and Rosalie laughed as Jasper vetoed attack after attack, with claims of, "Illegal play – that could damage his femoral artery" and "Not allowed – that's considered a health risk to males over twelve", while Alice repeatedly dropped her head into her hands, shaking with desperate laughter mixed with embarrassment on her boyfriend's behalf.

After a while, Edward made his way back to the girls, checking, as always, that Bella was ok. Bella rolled her eyes a little, but appreciated the thought nonetheless.

"Hey babe," he said, his heavy breathing betraying the extent of his exertion, and planted a sloppy kiss on her forehead. "What's up?"

She smiled, and shrugged.

"Nothing much. You want to go for a walk? I'm getting kind of stiff just sitting here."

He smiled and nodded.

"Sure," he said, stretching out his hands to her to help her up, while Alice and Rosalie shrugged at each other and went to join Emmett and Jasper in their ongoing game, causing a cry of disappointment from Emmett and a look of smug satisfaction from Jasper that their game now had to be touch only.

They walked slowly, fingers intertwined, Bella's other hand pressing lightly into the small of her back, trying to balance out the weight in front that now sometimes felt like it was threatening to topple her over. She giggled to herself, realizing that as much as she had chanted to herself at the beginning that she would never allow it to happen, she was on her way to developing a perfectly cliché "pregnant woman's waddle".

Edward eyed her, giving her his classic crooked grin that made her insides turn summersaults that had nothing to do with the baby moving.

"What's so funny?"

She smiled, giggling again.

"Nothing. I'm just... happy."

Edward's eyes gleamed as he returned her smile, leaning down gently for a gentle kiss and a pat of her belly – as usual not wanting to leave the baby out of the love – before straightening back up so they could continue their walk. Bella's smile glowed. She truly was happy, feeling as if nothing could possibly spoil that exact moment.

Then suddenly, as if the universe was reading her mind and had decided Bella had been happy for quite long enough thank you very much, a horribly familiar figure walked slowly around the corner up ahead of them, making Bella stop dead, her blood running icy cold.

Felix.

He hadn't spotted them yet. Bella clutched Edward's hand tightly and fought back a whimper of fear as Edward looked up, worried, to see what had caused this reaction in her. He turned to her, confused.

"Bella...?"

She forced herself to stop shaking. This was silly. He wouldn't do anything to her here, out in the open, with Edward there.

"It's Felix," she whispered, her quiet voice still managing to crack. Edward's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, darkening, as Bella uttered the name of a man he'd never met, but would willingly kill with his bare hands if he ever encountered him. "No, Edward, don't," Bella croaked, reading his mind, tugging on his arm and trying to turn around before Felix got any closer. "Let's just go, _please_." Edward fought the urge to shake her off and nodded slowly, his eyes still glaring at approaching figure. Bella turned them around quickly, trying to disappear, but was frozen in place by a hard, female voice, dripping with sarcasm and hatred that would put even a scorned Rosalie to shame.

"_Bella Swan_."

Bella's grip on Edward's hand tightened even further and she swallowed, her heart thudding. She took a deep breath as Edward squeezed her hand back, trying to be reassuring, and tried to remind herself that she was now happy and in a loving and strong relationship with Edward and that Felix could no longer hurt her. She slowly turned around, feeling Edward's arm slip protectively around her back adding some much-needed support.

Nervously, she raised her eyes, looking up at the people in front of her. Felix stared, pale as a sheet and looking extremely uncomfortable, as if would rather be anywhere else in the world right now other than standing in front of a very obviously pregnant Bella. Bella's eyes flickered to the woman standing next to him, the person who had spoken, and immediately recognized Heidi, the same woman who had been in Felix's bed that day all those months ago, when she had gone to tell him she was carrying his child.

Felix said nothing, refusing to make eye contact with Bella, but Heidi made no secret of the fact that she was now eyeing Bella up and down, staring at her long and hard with a look of sneering distaste.

"Huh," she said, giving Bella a look that was so judgmental Bella felt like she was being x-rayed. "I guess I'm not surprised." She eyed Bella's hand resting protectively on her pronounced baby-bump. "Felix always said you were a careless whore." Bella's breath hitched in her throat and she fought to keep her face neutral and not betray her emotions, feeling Edward tense beside her and knowing he just wanted to drag her quickly away out of harm's reach, and silently thanking him for staying put. She needed to face Felix once and for all. She couldn't tear her gaze off him as he stared at her belly, looking faintly ill, his silence completely uncharacteristic. "I bet he's not even the father," continued Heidi, sneering as she nodded her head in Edward's direction. "I bet you told him he was, though. Did she tell you you were the father?" She turned to Edward, her voicing turning horribly prissy and patronizing as if she were talking to a child. "Did she tell you she was going to have your baby, and that would have a lovely family and all live together happily ever after?" Edward's teeth ground, but he said nothing, and Bella was again thankful for the man's inhuman self control. She knew these types like Heidi. They fed off the weaknesses of their prey, any reaction only serving to egg them on. Felix had always been the same. Bella just wanted Heidi to get this out of her system so she and Edward could leave as soon as possible. Heidi's gaze flicked quickly back to her, willing her, almost daring her to make eye contact. "I bet the real father is some homeless guy so hopped up on crack and booze he doesn't even remember your name. Isn't that right, little Belly-Welly." Bella cringed, the nickname she had always detested but which Felix had tried to use endearingly way back at the beginning of their relationship now making her feel physically sick. "Poor Bella fell in love with a jackass who couldn't care less about her, got herself knocked up with his kid, and now has to raise that kid by herself knowing nobody will ever love her." At this comment Bella felt Edward snap, his golden patience finally running out, but before he could do or say anything she suddenly felt all her emotions, everything she'd felt about Felix and all the things he'd done to her, bubbling inside of her, finally ready to burst out and be set free. She spoke up, her voice carrying a forced and but clearly false pleasantness that nonetheless made Heidi do a double take, never expecting in a million years that Bella would actually talk back.

"You know what Heidi? You're right. He _is _a jackass, for want of a less pleasant word." Heidi smirked, thinking she had Bella right where she wanted her, but Bella continued. "As far as I know, he's actually dating some skank at the moment." She pretended to pause in thought. "He's probably cheating on her, if his past record is anything to go by." She smiled sweetly at Heidi, ignoring the fear that now covered Felix's still pale, still otherwise silent face. "I'm not _entirely _sure of the skank's name. But I _think _it might be Heidi Mortez."

Bella didn't wait to see Heidi's face slip from smugness to confusion. She tugged at Edward desperately, turning them both around and almost running back up the path, hearing Heidi's voice faintly behind them.

"What did she mean, Felix? What was she talking about?"

By the time Edward led her carefully to a bench behind the park's public restroom Bella was shaking uncontrollably. As Edward sat down quickly next to her a huge, racking sob ripped from her chest as tears began to stream down her face. Edward held her tightly in his arms, rocking her gently while sobs shook her body, feeling helpless. Gradually, her gasping breaths slowed as she gained control over her sobs, and finally she sat up, looking mournfully at Edward as her puffy eyes continued to drip tears slowly. He reached up to gently wipe away some of the tears that were trailing down her cheeks.

"How are you doing, love?" he asked softly. Bella sniffed, trying to regularize her breathing, but failing as a fresh batch of tears began to squeeze out of her eyes more quickly.

"She was right, Edward," she mumbled, sniffing more, while Edward looked confused. "What the hell am I doing, thinking I'll be able to raise a kid on my own? I can't do this. I'm just so _stupid_!"

"Hey now," soothed Edward, his face betraying his shock at where her thoughts were going. "Bella, you won't be on your own. I'm not going anywhere."

Bella looked at him sadly, shaking her head.

"You say that now, Edward. But what about when the baby comes and changes everything? No more cuddling on the couch, no more staying in bed together till noon. No more fairytale. It's not even your kid! You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

Edward shook his head, grasping both of her hands and forcing her to look at him, cursing Heidi and Felix for even trying to put these thoughts into her mind.

"Bella," he said gently, trying to show his sincerity in his eyes. "I love you. And I love your baby. You _know _that. Nothing's ever going to change that." He took a deep breath. "I know this is probably _completely_ the wrong time to mention this, but... I think we should move in together."

Bella stopped crying and stared at him, her astonishment completely overriding anything else she had been feeling.

"What?"

Edward shrugged.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while. I already spend most of my time with you at your apartment these days, and I plan on keeping that up. So why not make it official?" He squeezed her hands encouragingly. "I know it's kind of fast, but I don't see any sense in waiting if it feels right. Plus..." He looked at her sheepishly. "My landlord's just gone bankrupt so I have to find a new place to live anyway."

Bella blinked at him for a moment through eyes that were still red and puffy, and then let out one tiny giggle, and hiccupped.

"I guess you do spend most of your time at my place as it is..." she said, giggling again as another hiccup jerked her body. "It does make sense. I don't feel like there's any reason you shouldn't be living with me, even though it's only been a few months..."

Edward smiled and kissed her on the nose gently, wiping her tears away with the back of his hand.

"Feel a bit better now?"

Bella nodded, grimacing a little as another hiccup jerked her body roughly.

"I'm sorry I freaked out. I know you love me..."

"It's ok," he soothed, stroking her hair gently. "I understand why you were feeling like that." He laughed gently as she hiccupped again uncontrollably, pulling a slight face. She jumped, suddenly looking down at her belly and frowning. Edward placed his hand on her bump expectantly, always enjoying feeling the baby kick, but she shook her head, frowning as she jumped a little again, then hiccupped. Suddenly she giggled, sniffing and wiping her eyes quickly, before looking up at Edward accusingly.

"You gave my baby hiccups!"

Edward laughed, reaching one arm around her shoulders to pull her to him tightly, and laying the other hand protectively on her belly, determined to make sure neither of them ever felt anything other than safe in his arms.

* * *

><p>Dear Bella,<br>I am so sorry for writing this chapter.  
>I mean, the "confrontation" with Felix was planned pretty much right from the beginning, when I had the very first spark of the idea for this story, but when it came down to it and I actually had to write it... Well, I <em>finally <em>understood what other authors meant when they described how horrible it felt to have to put their characters through something like that.  
>And like how Stephenie puts it when she talks about her thought process when writing Edward leaving in New Moon; I <em>tried <em>to work out a way around this, so you didn't have to go through that with Felix and Heidi... But I just couldn't find a loophole. You needed the emotional closure, and this was the only way it could happen.  
>:'( I'm sorry Bella... :S<p>

But hopefully chapter 28 will make up for it...? :)

[Side note: If I manage to reach 100 reviews by the time I finish uploading Learning to Live... that would be pretty darn awesome. Just sayin'... :P]


	28. Chapter 28

So things are going to start winding up a bit from here on out - only four chapters left, and Bella's due date's getting pretty close now too!

Titbit from last week's reviews: why do the people with the best questions always have un-repliable profiles? :P I was asked: **"Why Felix?"**  
>I'm so glad I was finally asked this question, because there is <em>totally<em> a legitimate answer! :L The first time I read Eclipse (and every time after that :P), an off-hand line near the end when the Volturi appear after the battle with the newborns caught my attention.(_disclaimer: I had to look this up to even remember which book this idea came from :L_)  
>Eclipse p. 572: <em>'I was sure I recognized the biggest one, and while I stared, trying to confirm my suspicion, Felix looked up. He let his hood fall back slightly so that I could see him wink at me and smile.'<em>  
>Right from the beginning, it always made me wonder if, in an alternative universe, there might have been a BellaXFelix thread. :L<br>(Coincidentally, when I looked that up just now, I had a look in New Moon as well just in case it wasn't just that one line. Turns out on p. 454 of NM Felix is leering at Bella, and on p. 465 he's calling dibs on her. I'm onto you Stephenie. :L)

So there you have it - I didn't want to go down the traditional "In a Team Edward story Jacob is always the bad guy" route [for reasons you will find out _eventually_ ;) ], and I didn't want to use the other option - Mike - as the "bad guy", because really, Mike's a sweetheart who's just never in the right place at the right time. :L So Felix it was! :)

Anyhow...  
>Enough rambling from me. Enjoy chapter 28! :D<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28 ~ 32 weeks<strong>

Bella stood peering aimlessly around the crowded schoolyard, walking around slowly as she watched the hordes of children enjoying recess. Being on yard duty wasn't that fun when your back started to ache within five minutes of standing still, but she had refused to give it up when Principal Banner had offered her the choice a week and a half ago, when the new school term started. Times like these were her only chance to see how all the children were progressing through the school; usually the only times she was able to catch up with the previous year's first graders, who were now in second grade and – as far as they were concerned – the coolest kids in the school. Her new class of children were still finding their feet and getting to know her, though, so she made sure to keep a special eye on them as well. Suddenly a pair of small, voices next to her made her jump, and she looked down to see Tyler and Jared, not as little as they had been before the summer, grinning up at her in excitement.

"Hi Miss Swan!"

She smiled at them.

"Hi, boys! How are you?"

"We're in second grade now!" exclaimed Tyler, his thick curly hair bouncing.

"That's right! Are you enjoying it?"

Tyler nodded.

"We get to do big kid stuff!"

"Miss Swan, my mom says you have a baby inside your tummy..." cut in Jared unsurely, touching her round belly cautiously with one finger. Bella almost laughed at the nervous look on his face.

"That's right, Jared, I do."

Tyler's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You ate a baby?"

This time Bella did laugh, though she tried to rein it in for Tyler's sake.

"Of course I didn't eat it! It's in a special place in my belly where it can grow until it's ready to be born."

Jared and Tyler looked at her in confusion, and Jared frowned.

"But... how is it going to get out?"

Bella stopped laughing and bit her lip. Damn. She walked into that one.

"Well..." she hedged slowly. "When it's finished growing, I'll go to the hospital and the doctors will help it get out."

Jared seemed satisfied with this answer, but Tyler still looked confused.

"But how did it get _in _there?"

Bella's face paled.

"Uh..."

"Tyler, Jared, come _on_!" Bella breathed a sigh of relief as Rachel came running over, a cross look on her face, holding hands with a slightly bemused Paul. "We're not done playing house! I'm the mommy, Paul's the daddy, and you two are the babies."

Bella covered up her snicker as Jared and Tyler reluctantly trailed after Rachel, their faces downcast, and turned around only to almost trip over the small, blonde girl who was standing meekly behind her.

"Oh! Carlie, sweetheart, I didn't see you there!" Carlie was one of Bella's new first graders, a shy girl who had taken to following Bella around whenever she could get away with it.

"My mommy's going to have a new baby too," she said quietly, looking nervously up at Bella from beneath her long eyelashes.

"Wow!" said Bella, taking Carlie by the hand as she spotted some other girls from her class and gently leading her over to them. "That must be exciting!" Carlie grinned at her shyly and nodded. "Hi girls!" Bella said brightly as they reached a pair of children playing in the corner of the sandbox. "Do you think Carlie could join in with your game too?"

The girl on the left looked up and grinned, nodding enthusiastically.

"We're building a princess castle!"

Bella smiled as Carlie sat down nervously next to them, feeling a little sad that she would only be teaching these children for another few weeks before she started her maternity leave.

**~o0o~**

Back in the teachers' lounge, Bella was accosted the moment she set foot in the door.

"Bella, over here!" Edward grabbed her hand, leading her over to the only comfy chair in the room, which he had obviously been saving for her. She shook her head silently, looking up at him with an amused expression.

"Edward..."

"What?" he said innocently, shrugging his shoulders and grinning adorably. "I just wanted to make sure you got a seat, that's all. You've been on your feet all morning!"

Bella just shook her head again, laughing quietly. She turned as she heard Elaine Berty's voice beside her.

"He's certainly a keeper, Bella. There's not many young men nowadays who behave in a gentlemanly fashion such as Edward here! Such a sad thought to think that simple chivalry is dying out..."

Bella nodded, smiling as she felt Edward's hand slip onto hers from the other side.

"I know I'm lucky to have him," she sighed, rubbing soft circles on her belly. "Especially at the moment."

Elaine's aging face lit up.

"Yes, you must be excited about the baby – not long now!"

Bella laughed.

"Well, I still have almost two months."

Edward snorted from behind her.

"Try eight weeks, Bella. Sounds so much shorter than two months, right?" He squeezed her hand as she bit her lip, and Elaine patted her knee before beginning to gather her things.

"Those eight weeks are going to fly by, Bella, mark my words!"

**~o0o~**

The following Saturday, Bella was woken late in the morning by the sound of sizzling bacon, the enticing smell engulfing her nostrils as she smiled sleepily yet hungrily. Though rain pounded heavily on the windows already, it was the kind of rain that made her feel warm and cozy wrapped up in her blankets indoors. Edward entered the room with a heavily laden tray, smiling when he saw she was awake.

"Good morning, birthday girl!" He bent down to kiss her lips as she grinned and pushed herself up to a sitting position, balancing the tray carefully on her knees. "I hope you're hungry!"

She laughed as her stomach rumbled right on cue, patting her belly affectionately.

"Always!" She surveyed the food in front of her. "Wow, Edward, this looks delicious! How long have you been up?"

Edward smiled sheepishly.

"A while..."

She laughed. Edward moving in had _definitely _been a good idea – since he'd begun living with her full time, she had not only felt like she didn't have to lift a finger around the place, but like she wouldn't even be _allowed _to. It would normally bug her that someone was waiting on her hand and foot, but Edward was being so gracious about it and really seemed to enjoy doing everything for her, that she couldn't find it in herself to get annoyed with him. _Most _of the time.

Edward slid back into the bed next to her as she heaped scrambled eggs onto wholegrain toast, almost moaning as the hot, buttery taste hit her tongue – eggs always tasted so good in the mornings. Edward gazed at her as she ate, making her feel self conscious.

"Edward, stop staring at me!" she whined, pouting.

"Sorry..." he mumbled, grinning sheepishly and gently poking her stomach teasingly where her belly button had recently popped from an 'inny' to an 'outy', much to his amusement and Bella's chagrin. "So... Are you ready for your gift yet?" He laughed as Bella made a face, and he rubbed her belly as the baby wriggled near his hand. "No, youstill have to wait another while until it's _your _birthday."

Bella bit her lip as Edward bent to the side, reaching under the bed.

"I hope you didn't spend a lot of money..."

Edward rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Bella's worry.

"I only spent what was necessary, I promise," he said, kissing her gently as he pressed a small rectangular box covered in pink and yellow striped paper into her hand. "Happy birthday." She wrinkled her brow as she unwrapped it carefully, laying the discarded paper onto her breakfast tray as she revealed a plain, black box. Glancing at Edward curiously she opened it, a small gasp escaping her as she glimpsed its contents.

"Oh Edward, it's _beautiful_!"

She carefully lifted the delicate necklace off of its white satin cushion and held it up to the light, the tiny, navy blue stone framed by a twisted gold loop glistening subtly. Unclasping it, she handed it quickly to Edward, swinging her hair over her shoulder and turning around. "Will you put it on for me?" She felt his warm fingers fumbling at the back of her neck, then he lightly kissed the top of her spine and pulled her back around, looking at the small pendant now resting between her collar bones.

"Beautiful," he said quietly, his loving smile lighting up his eyes and causing them to shine. Bella looked down shyly, her cheeks turning light pink as he continued to grin his crooked grin, and touched the pendant lightly.

"Thank you."

**~o0o~**

Bella had justfinished getting dressed when a loud pounding began on the door of the apartment, accompanied by a high pitched, authoritative voice.

"Open up, birthday girl! You can't escape the wrath of Alice Brandon!" Bella laughed and Edward unlocked the door as she quickly ran into the living room, in time to see a small, brunette head rush across the room and envelop her in a surprisingly strong hug. "Happy birthday Bella!" Bella laughed and patted Alice on the back.

"Thanks, Alice. But I think you might be suffocating the baby right now."

Alice sprang back, cartoon-like, with a horrified look on her face, immediately bending down and talking worriedly to Bella's stomach.

"I'm sorry, baby! Please tell me you're still alive!" She paused, but neither Bella nor the baby made any reaction. "Please!" Finally complying, the baby suddenly kicked hard up into Bella's ribs, making her double over and wince and allowing Alice to sigh in relief. Bella looked down at her stomach accusingly.

"Ow... You know, you're supposed to be nice to me on my birthday!"

Edward squeezed her shoulder anxiously, always worried about her well-being.

"You ok, Bells?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes as his perpetual concern.

"Yeah, I'll live." She surveyed the room, finally greeting the rest of the guests who had "snuck" in quietly after hurricane Alice. "Any of you guys want to trick my child into abusing me some more?"

Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper laughed, Jasper taking Alice carefully by the hand and leading her out of the way where she couldn't cause any more trouble, as she pouted and muttered under her breath.

"Not my fault that baby does what it's told..."

Bella pretended not to notice her and Rosalie disappearing into the kitchen with a conspicuous white box as she sat on the couch next to Jasper, comfortably answering his questions about how she was feeling these days. After a few minutes a suspicious hush descended over the group as the handle of the kitchen door began to rattle, then Bella groaned as a slightly out of tune chorus of 'Happy Birthday' accompanied Alice and Rosalie as they carefully carried a huge, pink cake into the room, her head dropping into her hands as Edward produced a camera.

"Ok, Bella, make a wish!" proclaimed Alice as the huge cake was placed in front of her. Leaning forward, Bella sucked in a huge breath and blew hard at the candles, scowling as less than half of them went out. She blew out the rest in two more breaths, pulling a face as she looked back up at the others.

"I guess my lungs don't have as much room to expand as they used to."

Edward laughed, sitting on the arm of the couch next to her and handing her a knife.

"Ok, Bells, go for it."

Frowning with concentration, she cut carefully into the centre of the pink monstrosity, the sweet smell of strawberries wafting up to her. She felt herself drooling.

"Rose, Al, this smells amazing!"

Rosalie shrugged. She had inherited a quirky love of baking from her mother, which seemed completely out of character for her but actually worked pretty well living with sugar addict Alice.

"Mom's original recipe!"

Bella handed slices of cake around to everybody on paper napkins, looking slightly perturbed and the large amount of crumbs and gooey frosting that were getting everywhere. Alice noticed her worried look and followed her gaze.

"Relax, Bella, it's just a bit of cake," she laughed. "We'll clean up after, I promise!"

Rosalie raised an eyebrow.

"Bella getting upset about a little bit of mess? That's new one. When we were in college I had to step over your entire wardrobe to get to my bed most of the time!" The boys laughed as Bella blushed and glared at Rosalie, and Alice giggled, her eyes teasing.

"Aw, Bells, are you nesting?"

Bella scowled.

"No, I just don't want your sugary goo all over my clean couch!"

They laughed again at her defensiveness as Edward bent down to her ear, stage whispering loudly.

"It's ok Bella, I won't tell them about last night when you cranked out the vacuum cleaner at eleven thirty because you thought you saw some dust on the rug!"

Bella gave Edward a death glare and elbowed him hard in the ribs as the room was once again filled with laughter at her expense, not caring that he didn't even flinch, and looked around at everyone with a pout.

"Guys, it's my birthday! You're supposed to be _nice _to me!"

* * *

><p>Trivia: the entire reason it's raining when Bella wakes up on the morning of her birthday is because while I was writing this chapter, my brother was playing his guitar and I <em>could not concentrate. <em>So cue rain-noise through my earphones to block it out. :L

Also, the necklace Edward gives Bella for her birthday is actually based on a necklace I got from my cousin as a thank-you for being her bridesmaid last spring. :) I wanted to put a link to it in my profile in case anyone wanted to see it, but the link I found when I was writing this chapter last summer now isn't working. I'll see if I can get a new one and let you know next week! :D

See you soon! :D


	29. Chapter 29

_(First of all, huge apologies that this chapter is so late - is being stupid and not updating, even though I've had this chapter uploaded for aaaages... :/ )_

Chapter 29 already... Are you freaking _kidding me_? :O

So this is a sweet little chapter... :)  
>I have to mention though, my beta has been super busy with a whole lot of RL stuff so this chapter hasn't had a second opinion; and with this chapter, I had to do so much research for it because I had <em>no <em>idea what I was talking about ( :L ), and I got so lost it in when I was actually writing it that I have no idea if it's a serious case of TMI or not... :L So if it is, I sincerely apologize for scarring you! :/

I give you... The birthing classes. :L

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29 ~ 34 weeks<strong>

"Come _on_, Edward, we're going to be late!"

Bella stood with her hand on the door handle, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Bella, I don't know..." began Edward hesitantly. "Are you sure I'm meant to come? Last time I went there were hardly any other guys there..."

"Edward, this one is important. If you want to be in the room when I'm giving birth, you have to come to this childbirth class!"

Edward, appearing quickly at her side, put his hand over hers and opened the door, speaking gently into her ear.

"Bella, you _know_ I want to be there. But only if you're comfortable with that..."

Bella rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself as they began to descend the stairs.

"I already told you I want you there too, Edward." She giggled. "And since you've already promised, that means you can't back out after you find out this evening what's going to be in store for you!"

He rubbed her back gently, grinning also.

"However bad it is, I'll have plenty of time to come to terms with it."

Bella looked at him in astonishment.

"Six weeks, Edward. _Six weeks_ until my due date!" She shook her head in wonder at his relaxed expression as he laughed, getting into the passenger side of his car – he had been _insisting _on driving her everywhere lately.

**~o0o~**

They reached the hospital, where the childbirth classes were being held, with a few minutes to spare. Climbing out of the Edward's car in the parking lot, Bella spotted Charlotte, another woman from the classes with whom Bella had become friendly, and her husband Peter, who Edward had met the last time he had come with her. Charlotte was thirty six weeks pregnant, two weeks ahead of Bella, although she was having twins and spent her days worrying that they were going to decide to pop out at any moment. Bella waved, making her way over as Edward locked the car.

"Charlotte! How are you doing?"

Charlotte pulled a face.

"_Any _day now, Bella, I _swear_!"

Bella laughed as Edward appeared next to her, jingling his keys in his hand.

"Edward, my man, how are you?" Peter's loud voice carried across the parking lot as he came to join his wife, grinning and shaking Edward's hand enthusiastically as the couples began to make their way to the room where the class would be held.

"Not bad, Pete, not bad!" replied Edward, happy in the reassurance that there was going to be at least one other guy at the class tonight. "You got roped into this again too, huh?"

Peter chucked, rolling his eyes as he patted Charlotte's shoulder.

"No way out of it man, you just gotta do what you're told!"

They entered the room, Bella immediately pulling Edward towards the back as Peter and Charlotte followed them. Edward quirked an eyebrow at Bella's eagerness to be out of sight, but she just shook her head, giggling as she remembered the video they had been shown the previous week of some labor pain management exercises they were going to practice today.

"You'll understand later, Edward, I promise."

Charlotte sniggered with her, knowing what she was thinking of, but their laughter was interrupted by the entrance of the woman who would be teaching this week's class and they quickly sat down on the yoga mats provided, Bella pulling a slightly happier Edward – now that he saw there were indeed plenty of other men at the class – down next to her.

"Moms, dads, birth partners and any babies listening in today – welcome! Before we start, I'd love to know how everybody's getting on. Does anybody have any stories or experiences from the past week they'd like to share with the group?"

Bella listened intently as a woman named Victoria described the Braxton Hicks contractions she'd been having for a while, after which the teacher, Sue, gave them a rundown of what they'd be doing in today's class.

"I _will _be briefly going over the stages of labor which we covered last week, but today I'd like to focus especially on positions and techniques that can help ease pain during labor if you choose not to have an epidural, or aid delivery. Those of you whose birth partners couldn't make it tonight, don't worry, you'll still be able to participate, and it will be easy for you to show your partners what to do when you get home. Now first of all, moms, I want you sitting cross-legged for me and we'll do some breathing exercises. Partners, pay special attention, as you may need to gently remind mom of these during her labor if she becomes tired or distressed."

**~o0o~**

Fifteen minutes later, Sue had all the moms sitting backwards on chairs, their birth partners standing behind them.

"...and as soon as you start having a contraction your partner needs to lean in with their hands, putting firm pressure on your lower back."

"You ready for this?" whispered Edward into Bella's ear, his breath tickling her neck. She giggled as he pushed his large hands into her back and wiggled his fingers.

"Edward, that tickles!" she hissed, trying to straighten her face. "Come on, this is serious!"

He pouted jokingly.

"Sorry..."

"Another position you can use to take the weight off of mom's legs during contractions is a little something I like to call the dance," continued Sue from the front of the room, once she was happy with their practice and the chairs had been put off to the side out of the way. "In this position, mom wraps her arms around her partner's neck and allows them to take her weight, letting her legs and body relax and just... dangle." As Sue demonstrated with one of the moms up in front, Bella turned to Edward and clasped her arms around his neck, leaning into him and grinning as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Hi," she said softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, taking her weight.

"Hi," he replied, a smile dancing around his eyes. He cocked his head as he looked at her, her chest pressing into his. "You know what this kind of reminds me of?"

Bella frowned slightly, looking at him curiously as she dangled from his neck.

"No... What?"

"Your first self defense class with me." He smirked. "Only this is even more fun." Bella giggled, rolling her eyes, as Sue spoke up again and described how the position also worked reversed if the birth partner held the mom under her armpits and let her dangle that way. As Bella turned around and let herself be supported again by Edward, she giggled, looking up at him over her shoulder.

"It's a good thing you're strong!"

Edward winked at her, pretending to flex his bicep awkwardly from under her armpit.

"Arms of steel," he drawled, setting her off into another fit of giggles. She didn't know why she kept laughing so much tonight. It was strange. Perhaps Edward was right, maybe being so touchy-feely with him in a group like this _was _bringing back some of the fun memories from her first self defense class...

"The benefit of being in an upright position during labor," Sue was saying loudly from the front of the room, "is that it allows gravity to assist the baby in dropping low into the pelvis in preparation for birth." She held up a model of human pelvic bones for the class to see as Bella straightened up. "Sometimes, your baby may not have dropped completely because he or she may be coming down slightly to one side, or too far forward or back. There are a number of ways you can help your baby to drop if this is the case, and most of them involve one of my favorite things..." Sue motioned towards the wall where a number of large, brightly colored, inflatable yoga balls were waiting to be used. "The birthing ball!"

Edward watched nervously as Bella and Charlotte made their way to the side of the room with the other moms, grabbing a ball each and rolling it back. Bella immediately swung the ball under her and sat on it, balancing easily and she bounced up and down gently. She smirked at Edward's look.

"Relax, Edward, it's just a yoga ball. It doesn't bite, I promise."

"Yeah but... It's so... squishy...!"

Bella laughed loudly, before Sue began speaking again and the room quietened.

"The easiest way to use the ball for the purpose I mentioned is to simply move your hips back and forth, side to side, or in a circle, which will encourage the baby's head into the widest part of your pelvis. Another good way to help the baby to drop is for your partner to sit on the ball, and moms, you squat between your partner's legs and rest your weight on their knees. You can go ahead and give that a try now."

Bella tried not to laugh as she stood up off the ball and allowed Edward to sit down, holding his hand until he got his balance.

"You sure you can handle this Edward?" she teased. Edward looked at her, his face a mask of seriousness.

"I don't know, Bells, I don't think six weeks is enough to get used to _this_!"

Bella laughed, ignoring him, and turned her back to him, using his knees for balance as she carefully lowered herself into a squatting position. She heard huffing and puffing next to her, and glanced over to see Charlotte wiggling around until she finally got into a squat in front of Peter as well. She noticed Bella looking and laughed.

"This ain't so easy when you've got two of them in there!"

Bella laughed back, and began swaying gently on Edward's knees as Sue gave them their next instructions.

"Another problem some moms may face during labor is that their pelvis isn't opening wide enough to let the baby's head come through. The pelvis can be manually assisted in widening by mom sitting on her partner's lap while they sit on the ball, on the bed or on a chair. Mom can then place her feet flat on the ground and spread her legs, with her partner helping to push her knees back as far as possible, in order to open up the pelvis."

Edward seemed to be relaxing in the company of the scary yoga ball, and smirked as Bella placed herself on his lap, his knees between her legs.

"Let me guess," he whispered impishly in her ear as she began to spread her legs. "This is one of the reasons you wanted to be at the back of the room?"

Bella raised an eyebrow as Edward began to run his hands slowly along in the inside of her thighs down towards her knees.

"Now don't you go getting any ideas, mister..."

"Who, me?" His eyes widened in innocence as he rested his chin on her shoulder and began to pull on her knees, spreading her wide as she leaned back onto him. "Never!"

Bella snorted, and winced slightly as she felt the pull on her inner thighs. Yeah, Edward was the absolute picture of innocence. She looked up as Sue began speaking again.

"One final position I'd like to show you tonight is one I found particularly helpful when I was having my first child. It takes pressure off mom's upper body, and can be especially beneficial if you have a lot of back pain during your labor. Partners, up you get off the birthing ball, but stay kneeling on the ground. Moms, get down on your knees as well, and lean onto the ball, supporting your upper body with your arms like this." She demonstrated on a large blue ball at the front of the room. "You might also like to sway back and forth or side to side as well." Bella copied her, and was amazed at how comfortable she immediately felt. She could have lain like that all day. But Sue wasn't finished. "Now, birth partners, if mom is experiencing back pain, a good way to take pressure off her lower back is to place your hands on the fleshiest parts of her buttocks and push them towards each other, squeezing her hips."

Bella's head popped up in surprise at that instruction to see Edward grinning widely.

"I think I'm beginning to see the benefits of this ball after all, Bells," he said, laughing, and she felt his hands grip her butt tightly. She rolled her eyes, giggling once again despite herself at the feeling as he squeezed.

"You having fun back there, Edward?"

"Oh, you can count on it Bella!"

**~o0o~**

Finally the class was over and they drifted out into the darkening hospital parking lot, waving goodbye to Peter and Charlotte before getting into Edward's car. Bella curled up in the passenger seat, the early dusk making her feel sleepy.

"I'm glad you came this evening, Edward," she mumbled as he started the car. He glanced over at her, smiling.

"I'm glad I came, too, Bella. As much as I might have complained, I really do want to make sure I'm ready to do everything I can to make this easier on you."

Bella looked at him, wondering what on earth she did to deserve such an amazing man as Edward in her life.

"I love you, you know?"

Edward smiled, shaking his head as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Love you too, Bells."

* * *

><p>So... TMI or not? lol<p>

Also, I've added a link in my profile to a necklace Bella's birthday gift from Edward in the last chapter was based off. It's not the exact necklace it was based off, but it's close enough. :)


	30. Chapter 30

_[One more chapter left after this before the epilogue? Excuse me while I FREAK. OUT. :O ]_

So Bella, 37 weeks... We're getting so close!

I had a crazy amount of fun researching this chapter. I'm hope it's realistic, because where I come from baby showers aren't really done; but after discovering what the deal is with them I seriously want to throw baby showers for EVERYONE, **NOW**. :L (just gotta find me some friends willing to have some babies... :L )

Enjoy! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30 ~ 37 weeks<strong>

Bella waddled awkwardly up the stairs of the apartment block, Edward behind her, a hand hovering behind her back just in case. For some reason she couldn't fathom, Edward had insisted on going for a "stroll" down the street early in the afternoon, and while she had humored him at the time she was now beginning to regret it, her back starting to ache as she carried 37 weeks of baby in front of her. She reached the top of the stairs and stopped to rest for a minute, huffing and puffing embarrassingly and glowering slightly at her gigantic belly.

Edward smiled, seeing her discomfort, and kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

"Only three more weeks, Bells," he encouraged. "Then the fun starts."

Bella tried to smile back at him, squeezing his hand in thanks for the support he tried so hard to give her. Despite her discomfort, she couldn't help but feel both nervous and excited about her impending future.

Resting a hand into the small of her back, the other one clasped with Edward's, she began to make her way down the hall to the door of her apartment, pausing and frowning outside Alice and Rosalie's door as she could have sworn she heard quiet shuffling from inside – but both Alice and Rosalie had told her they were working today. Suddenly the door burst open, making Bella jump a foot in the air as Edward laughed behind her. Alice, ever the whirlwind, leapt out, clapping her hands and grinning.

"SURPRISE!"

Bella stared at her in confusion for a minute, before her eyes began to focus on the room Alice had just jumped out of. Every available surface was covered in yellow and white streamers, and on the table just inside the door lay a large, four-tier, exuberantly colorful diaper cake. Bella's face broke out into a grin, her discomfort immediately forgotten.

"Alice!"

"Come on, Bella, you didn't really think I'd let you get away without having a proper, Alice Brandon-esq baby shower now did you?" She grabbed Bella, draping a huge purple "Mom-to-be" sash across her chest. "I'm only sorry I couldn't do it a bit sooner, but with Rose's busy schedule and me being away for the last few weekends, this was all I could manage. Thank God you haven't popped early yet!" she laughed, glancing at Edward. "I can take it from here Edward, thanks."

Bella turned to him, surprised.

"You knew about this?"

He smiled, nodding, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," he whispered, heading off quickly down the hall to their apartment.

Alice grabbed Bella's hand, pulling her quickly inside and shutting the door.

"Oh, this is going to be so much _fun_!"

Bella laughed, starting to get excited as Alice lead her round the corner into the living room, and gasped, her hand going to her mouth as her face lit up. Not only Alice and Rosalie, but Angela, the nurse Bella had gotten know during her frequent ER visits and with whom she had remained in touch; Vanessa, the substitute teacher who had taken over Bella's first grade class just a week ago and who Bella had been delighted to realize, on meeting with her, had been a good friend of hers from college, though they had quickly and unfortunately lost contact; and a number of other young teachers from the school including Bree Tanner, the gym teacher Edward had originally been filling in for before he was asked to stay permanently, were gathered around the coffee table.

"You guys...!" Bella squeaked, looking around at the faces of her friends smiling up at her. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble!"

Rosalie snorted, leading her over to the centre of the couch and pushing her to sit down with a plop.

"Bella, for most of us, this was no trouble at all. Have you _met _Alice?"

**~o0o~**

Bella spent the afternoon in a daze of being fussed over, congratulated, and being brought plates every five minutes of the most delicious and creative finger food that she could have imagined. She laughed as she spotted Alice's edible-penmanship on the pigs in blankets which now resembled strange-looking but unmistakable "babies-in-blankets", and cooed over the tiny green sugar booties on the adorable cupcakes Vanessa – or Nessie, as she had insisted Bella revert back to calling her the second she had laid eyes on her – had brought.

Alice suddenly stood up, clearing her throat.

"Ok ladies. Now everybody's fed and Bella has decided to be nice and not freak out about this entire party being a huge surprise –" Bella giggled a little and blushed, looking down, somehow not having even remembered she usually hated surprise parties with a passion, "– it's time for some fun and games!" With Rosalie's help, she hauled a large sheet of cardboard out into the middle of the room. "Now, you've all heard of 'pin the tail on the donkey'. Well, since this is a baby shower and not a barnyard bash, I give you..." She paused. "Pin the pacifier on the baby!" The room burst into laughter as she turned the sheet of cardboard around dramatically to present them with a picture of a giant baby, its face a blown up photo of Bella as a newborn, red faced and screaming, and a "Baby Bella" nametag on its bib to ensure nobody could mistake who it was.

Bella dropped her face into her hands, laughing in embarrassment.

"Alice, where on earth did you get that picture?"

Alice just smiled and tapped her nose secretively.

"I have my ways...!" She signaled to Rosalie, who immediately made her way over to Bella brandishing one of her scarves.

"You're first, Mommy-to-be!"

Bella groaned as she heaved herself off the couch, screwing up her eyes as Rosalie secured the scarf, covering them. Arms out for balance, she slowly took a few steps forward, guided by Rosalie's hands on her shoulders, but threw her hands up in defiance when Rosalie began to spin her.

"Rose, I don't think there's any need to try and disorientate me, I have enough trouble fighting with gravity these days as it is!"

Rosalie laughed but conceded, placing the cardboard pacifier with the pin on the back of it carefully into her hand. Bella stepped blindly forward, immediately bumping into the cardboard that Alice held and raising a laugh from the room. Finding the cardboard with her hand, she poked the pin into the first spot she found, laughing and taking a step back, pulling off the blindfold as the room chortled. She had placed the pacifier neatly in Baby Bella's hair like a bow. She shrugged her shoulders, grinning.

"Hey, I was close!"

"You won't be saying that when your baby won't stop screaming, Bella!" laughed Angela, standing up to take her turn next.

Bella sat back down and watched, laughing, as the rest of the girls took their turns. Finally, Alice passed the pacifier to Rosalie. Bella snorted, rolling her eyes, when Rosalie promptly stepped up to the cardboard and placed the pacifier exactly on the baby's mouth without hesitation. As much as some might think her aloof and insensitive, that woman was born to be a mother some day.

She chatted idly to Bree, who was sitting next to her, as Alice tidied up the 'pin the pacifier on the baby' game and went to root around in the kitchen, leaving Rosalie to suspiciously clear all the dishes and glasses off the coffee table in front of Bella.

Suddenly Alice appeared back in the room, her arms full of mystery objects which she then began to place on the table in front of Bella. Bella peered more closely at them and laughed as she realized they were little jars of puréed baby food, with white paper wrapped around them numbering them one to four and covering them so she could see neither the original labels nor the color of the contents. She glanced at Alice warily, and received only a sweet, innocent smile in return.

"Ok ladies, this one's just for Bella. I have here four lovely jars of the best quality baby purée money can buy. Bella will wear the blindfold once again, whereupon Rose will feed her spoonfuls of each one, and Bella will try to guess what flavor she has eaten."

Bella gave Alice a disbelieving look as the other girls laughed in enjoyment.

"You have _got _to be kidding me!"

"Nuh-uh, Bella," said Alice, shaking her head and producing the scarf once again to tie over Bella's eyes. "Surely you want to know what you'll be feeding your baby, right?"

Bella groaned and allowed Alice to tie the blindfold securely.

"Ok, Bella," said Rosalie, coming up on Bella's left. "Time for yummy surprise number 1!" Bella heard her ripping the paper off the jar to show the others the original label, letting them know what Bella was about to taste. "Open up, Bella!" Bella obeyed her, and Rosalie spooned a small spoonful of cold, mushy mixture into her mouth.

"Ok, that's an easy one," laughed Bella, relaxing when she realized it wasn't half as bad as she'd anticipated. "It's applesauce." The room clapped politely at her right answer. The next one was a little trickier. Bella swirled the mixture around in her mouth for a minute, thinking, before swallowing it. "Carrot?" she tried hesitantly.

"Indeed it is!" Rosalie informed her, earning a chortle from the room.

The minute the third spoonful hit her tongue she gagged.

"Oh my God, that's the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted! What _is _that?"

Rosalie put on a disappointed voice as the rest of the room burst into laughter at her reaction.

"Oh honey, that's a _very_ fancy chicken and vegetable risotto!" She pulled the paper off the final jar, and Bella heard the rest of the women laugh even harder when she showed them what was in it. She grimaced, opening her mouth reluctantly as Rosalie fed her a spoonful. She tasted the mixture, and pulled a face.

"Oh man, that's _got _tobe mushy peas!" The resounding laugh around the room served as a confirmation for her, and she pulled off the blindfold, blinking at the sudden brightness. As Rosalie cleared the jars back away into the kitchen, Alice once again took up a stance in the centre of the room.

"Ok ladies. The party's almost over... But there's one more important part, Bella." Bella looked at her, waiting. "It's time for _gifts_!"

Bella blushed as Rosalie started dragging a low table piled high with colorful giftwrapped parcels, having placed the large diaper cake, which Bella later discovered was one more thing from both Alice and Rosalie, in the centre of the table. She spent the next half an hour tearing through colored paper and gushing over the adorable, tiny clothes and bright plastic bottles and cups, and so many boxes of diapers she felt herself blanch at the thought of having to change them all. She thanked everybody effusively, so touched that they had all come but a little embarrassed that they had spent all this money on her, the concept of being 'spoilt' never being something she was one hundred per cent comfortable with – although she greatly appreciated the future usefulness of everything she had been given.

As the last guest hugged her goodbye and popped quickly out the door, Bella lay back into the couch cushions, her feet propped up on the coffee table much to Alice's silent annoyance, and a lethargic smile on her face as her hands balanced on top of her bulging tummy just as the baby decided to wake up. It had been kicking a little less lately, but Dr Gerandy assured her that was normal; the baby was just starting to run out of room to move around in there.

She heard the door open and craned her neck around to see who it was, thinking that Alice and Rosalie were both in the kitchen, and smiled as she saw Edward appearing round the corner into the living room.

"Hey Edward."

"Hey Bells." He laughed as he took her in, sitting surrounded by giftwrap and onesies. "Did you have a good time?" He sat down next to her on the couch, snaking his arm around her shoulder as she snuggled into him.

"Yeah," she said, yawning a little. "It was tiring, but fun." She jumped a little, groaning and rubbing her belly. "Oof, that was my bladder!" she complained accusingly downwards, grimacing and sighing as Edward laughed. "Ugh, now I gotta go pee." She groaned as she heaved herself up off the couch, waddling slowly to the bathroom.

She finished up, washing her hands at the sink making faces in the mirror, amusing herself. She looked down at her huge belly and patted it gently.

"You just hang in there for three short more weeks, baby, and then you'll be ready to see everyone, and you'll have all the space in the world to move around and kick to your heart's content," she said softly, smiling. She made her way back towards the living room, hearing Edward's voice now in the kitchen with Rose and Alice. She paused, surveying the mess of color and exciting gifts that littered the room and not relishing the thought of having to cart it even the short distance across the hall to her and Edward's apartment.

Without warning, her breath caught in her throat as a strange warmth suddenly flooded rapidly down her legs. She looked down, her heart beating quickly, and a strange, high-pitched squeak escaped her.

"Oh!"

A minute later, Edward came wandering out of the kitchen, a wet baking sheet and dishtowel in his hands, laughing at something Alice or Rosalie had said.

"What's up, Bells?"

Looking at her, the baking sheet and dishtowel slipped from his hands, clattering noisily to the floor. The noise brought Alice and Rosalie running out of the kitchen, as Bella slowly raised her head and looked up at them.

"My waters... just broke."

* * *

><p>...<p>

*le gasp*

CLIFFHANGER!

So... Since chapter 31 is the _last chapter_ (sob), and since I'm pretty sure Bella doesn't want to be left in this state any longer than is necessary... **I _*might* _post a bit earlier than usual next Sunday...** :P  
>Keep your eyes peeled!<p> 


	31. Chapter 31

Oh come on you guys... You didn't really think I'd do that to this story, did you? ;)  
>Here's some trivia: out of the 6 people who scrolled to the bottom of the page to review the chapter I posted this morning, only *one* person (snaps for "shebasue"!) <em>actually read <em>the whole author's note and the **big fat message at the end saying** **"PS - APRIL FOOLS!"** :L  
>I guess I know now how much attention people pay to me once the chapter's over. :P<br>I _am _kind of disappointed more people didn't guess something was up - I mean seriously, were Bella and the others really going to just accept that Felix was sorry and was going to suddenly be the perfect dad? And come on, a sudden Edward X Felix thread? :L But I guess that's a compliment to my abilities as a writer, huh? ;P

Anyway, I hope you guys don't hate me for that and I hope I didn't freak you out too bad - I just couldn't resist when I realized April 1st was going to fall on a Sunday this year and that *this* would be the chapter I would be posting. :L

So without further ado, _here's the **real **Chapter 31..._ :L

With this chapter, because I'm so OCD about details, I ended up doing a lot of research. Again, my beta hasn't been able to check it for me, and I was so caught up in my head when I was writing that I am incapable of noticing if there's way TMI or not... :/ So if there is, please accept my apologies! :(

**All trolling aside, **I really do hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. I had this ending in mind right from the moment the first seed of this story popped into my head, so I hope you guys think it fits with the story as much as I do. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31<strong>

Bella winced, gripping Edward's shoulder tightly. He rubbed her back, trying to help her as best he could as they waited for Dr Gerandy to appear. As the contraction subsided, Dr Gerandy sailed around the corner and into the examination room, rubbing his hands together.

"Bella! How're you doing this evening? I hear we had a little bit of water-breaking, am I right?"

Bella nodded, biting her lip and burying her head in Edward's shoulder.

"The baby's not supposed to be coming yet. Why is it coming already? It has to stay longer, it's not due for another three weeks!"

"Actually Bella, at thirty seven weeks, you're full term. Your baby is fine to be born at this stage. The extra three weeks are just to let it get a little bigger." Dr Gerandy looked at her worried face. "But I wouldn't be too sure that it's coming _right now_. Early labor can last for several hours, even days. When did your contractions start?"

"In the car on the way here. About twenty or twenty five minutes ago, I guess."

"And how often are they?"

Bella looked at Edward, unsure.

"A little over eleven minutes between the last two," he said quietly. Dr Gerandy nodded.

"Alright then, Bella, let's have a quick look and see how you're doing," he said, snapping on a pair of gloves and positioning himself on a stool at the end of the bed Bella was sitting on. She turned and lay back, closing her eyes, as Edward stroked her hair, sensing her anxiousness. Dr Gerandy finished up quickly. "Ok, Bella. From the looks of things, you have quite a way to go yet. My suggestion would be to go home for a few hours and try to get some rest. You're going to need all your energy when this baby does start coming, but that probably won't be for a while." Bella's eyes widened at the suggestion and her lip wobbled, her gaze flicking furtively to Edward, and he immediately spoke up.

"Actually, we'd prefer to stay here, just in case anything happens."

Dr Gerandy simply nodded and smiled.

"If you're sure you wouldn't feel more comfortable at home, then ok. We can set something up." He pulled off his gloves. "I'll be back in just a minute."

Alice and Rosalie stepped quickly into the room as Dr Gerandy left, immediately running to Bella's side.

"What did he say?" asked Alice.

"He tried to send us home again," muttered Bella darkly, breathing steadily through her nose as another contraction began to rise up.

"What?" Alice's face betrayed her shock.

"Don't worry, he's getting her a bed as we speak," said Edward, squeezing Bella's hand. Rosalie looked at her in sympathy.

"Emmett's on his way. And Jasper's almost finished his shift, he'll be down here soon too."

Bella shook her head.

"No, guys, Dr Gerandy said this could take _hours_. You don't need to be here all night."

Rosalie shook her head stubbornly, ignoring Bella's concerns.

"Bella, we want to be here for you, even if it's only in the waiting room; no matter what happens." Alice nodded emphatically in agreement. Bella sighed, not wanting to argue.

Dr Gerandy appeared in the doorway.

"Ok Bella, I've arranged to have a nurse come and show you to your room. I'm going to head away, but the midwife will come and check up on you every hour, and she'll page me if I need to come back." He looked at the others in the room, and smiled. "Don't worry. You're in good hands."

**~o0o~**

Bella lay awake in the dim room, trying to rest but unable to do more than flit in and out of a semi-drowsy state; she listened to Edward's quiet breathing as he dozed in the chair next to her, his arm reaching up onto her bed to clasp her hand. The analogue clock on the monitor next to her read 1 am. She groaned as she felt another contraction begin, squeezing Edward's hand hard enough to jolt him awake. They were definitely getting stronger. He leant towards her, stroking her hair, his face close to hers, worried and concerned.

"How bad?"

She tried to keep her face neutral.

"Not too bad. Really, I'm f – "

Edward placed his hand over her mouth, a stern look on his face.

"Bella, this is _not _the time to downplay things. If you value my sanity at all, do _not _say that you are fine." He glanced at his watch. "The midwife should be back soon." He looked at Bella, worried. "Do you want me to go ask Jasper to poke around and convince them to give you something for the pain?" When Jasper and Emmett had arrived, Bella had convinced them to all leave the hospital and go get a bite to eat. They had returned a few hours ago, and Bella presumed they were still in the waiting room. She shook her head vehemently.

"No! I'm not risking _anything _else being passed on to the baby through me. It had a rough start in this already, I don't want to push my luck."

Edward nodded, quiet, his forehead crinkling as he rubbed her hand, soothing her as another contraction washed over her.

The midwife came sweeping into the room.

"Hi, Bella, Edward. How are we doing?"

"The contractions are definitely getting closer together," said Edward, never taking his eyes off Bella as the midwife, a caring woman who had introduced herself to them as Stephenie, checked the monitors around Bella. "Maybe four or five minutes between them." Stephenie nodded, and looked at Bella.

"And how are you finding them, mom?"

"They're a lot stronger, but still bearable."

"Mhm? Ok, I think it might be time to have a little look and see if you're dilating yet." She pulled on a pair of gloves. "Relax, Bella. You're doing great, there's nothing to be worried about." Bella closed her eyes and breathed slowly as the midwife checked her, wincing a little. Stephenie sat back up. "Alright Bella. You're about three centimeters dilated, so it will probably still be a while, but you're certainly progressing nicely. I'll come back to check on you again in a little while."

Bella sighed as Stephenie stood up and prepared to leave the room. Only three centimeters? She was already exhausted, and she hadn't really been able to get much sleep since coming to the hospital. She glanced at Edward with pained eyes as the midwife shut the door quietly behind her, and he held her hand and rubbed her large belly gently, kissing her softly on the nose as she moaned and squirmed with another contraction. He looked at her sadly, his eyes a little nervous.

"What can I do?"

Bella shook her head.

"This is something I have to get through myself, Edward," she said quietly. "You just need to be here to catch me."

He sighed, and laid his head on the pillow next to her gently, trying to help her relax and get some rest.

**~o0o~**

An hour or so later, Bella knew there was no way she could sleep. Alice and Rosalie popped in drowsily to see her, leaving the boys outside in the waiting room playing cards. They winced in sympathy as she descended from a contraction, panting, a haggard Edward by her side.

"How bad is it?" asked Rosalie worriedly.

"Like the worst period pains you ever had, times a zillion, _everywhere_," moaned Bella.

Alice bit her lip.

"Anything Jasper can spring you?"

Bella shook her head.

"No, I'm doing this on my own," she mumbled tiredly. She groaned as she felt another contraction slowly begin to build, as Stephenie appeared in the doorway. Taking one look at Bella, she began to shoo Rosalie and Alice out.

"Ok ladies, mom needs to feel relaxed. There'll be plenty of time to see her later after baby's arrived."

Bella threw her a half smile, half grimace of thanks. As much as she loved Alice and Rose, she was finding it exhausting to focus on much right now. Alice squeezed her hand, and Rosalie stroked her hair gently.

"Good luck, Bells. We'll see you soon," she whispered, before they both left quietly.

"There's less than three minutes between her contractions now," said Edward quickly. "And they're very intense. I think they're stronger than she's letting on." Bella tried to scowl at Edward, but her head just flopped back onto the pillow.

"Alright then Bella," said Stephenie brightly. "Let's take a look." She bent down, checking Bella quickly. "Ok Bella, you're about seven centimeters dilated. Looks like things are starting to move more quickly." She smiled. "I might go and give Dr Gerandy a call." She patted Bella's knee encouragingly, before standing up quickly and leaving.

Bella whimpered, turning to Edward.

"I'm so tired already," she whispered. "How am I going to be able to do this, Edward?"

He stroked her face gently, forcing himself to hide his anxiousness about seeing her in pain, and show only love and support.

"You'll be ok, Bells. Just remember what's waiting for you at the other end of this."

**~o0o~**

Bella groaned loudly, a tear squeezing out of the corner of her eye as the contraction pulled through her, a double wave this time, starting up again just as she thought it was stopping.

"I think I'm dying," she moaned, as Edward stroked her damp hair, saying nothing and glancing at his watch. Where the hell was Dr Gerandy?

As if reading his thoughts, Dr Gerandy suddenly swept into the room, a small handful of nurses with him including Stephenie the midwife. He rubbed his hand together rapidly, looking oddly awake for three o'clock in the morning.

"Ok, Bella, let's see how you're doing." Bella didn't even notice as he checked her dilation. "Right. You're about eight and a half centimeters. You're lucky Bella, you're progressing very quickly, especially considering this is your first pregnancy. This baby obviously wants out ASAP."

Bella growled.

"This is quickly?" she snapped at him, unable to feel sorry for her irritableness as another huge contraction washed over her.

Dr Gerandy pulled off his gloves and stood up, heading to the door. Edward stared, worried.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be in and out a bit, but you don't need me to stay here just yet. There'll be at least one nurse here all the time, along with your midwife." He looked at Edward sympathetically. "She's doing great. Really."

Edward winced as Bella roared, the contraction peaking.

"FUCK YOU, FELIX!"

He stroked her hair helplessly as she grasped his hand, trying to soothe her.

"You're doing great, Bells, you're almost there. Just a little while longer."

"_Fuck off, Edward!_" she shouted, and immediately apologized, moaning. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, please don't leave."

"Shh," he said softly, stroking her hair. "It's ok, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

**~o0o~**

"Alright Bella, you're ten centimeters now, so things are probably about to start happening."

Bella stared at Dr Gerandy as he spoke, fighting the somewhat ridiculous urge to kick him in his primely-placed head.

"_Have things not been happening already?_"

Dr Gerandy only smiled as he stood up to pull on a scrub gown. Bella moaned as she felt another strong contraction begin, barely a minute after the previous one, and rolled her head towards Edward.

"Oh my God, Edward, when's it going to stop? Why hasn't it stopped?" Her head slapped back against the bed as the room became a blur and she felt a hot burning in her pelvis, groaning so loudly it was almost a scream, threatening to break Edward's fingers in her tight grasp. Dr Gerandy sat back between her legs as she panted.

"Let's sit you up a bit, Bella, hmm? Make you a bit more comfortable."

She felt one of the nurses hit the button on the remote that made the top of the bed begin to bend up and forwards slowly, pushing her with it.

"Edward, it hurts so much," she whimpered, starting deep breaths again as she felt her insides stir.

"You can do it, Bella, you're doing brilliantly," he said softly as her face contorted and she fell into a daze again, not hearing anything else he said. She zoned in and out with her contractions, hardly able to take anything in as the pain overwhelmed her. She wasn't sure how long she lay there for before Dr Gerandy finally spoke up again.

"Ok Bella, I can see your baby's head crowning. I hope you're ready now, because it's time to push."

With renewed vigor, she strained hard, feeling her face go purple as she thought her hips might split apart completely. Panting, she stopped, her body limp and shaking, waiting for the next contraction to hit.

With each push, she felt her strength wane and wane. Tears streaming down her face, she clasped Edward's hand tightly, more exhausted than she'd ever been in her life.

"I can't do this anymore, Edward. I'm so tired," she gasped, her eyes closing. "I just can't do it!"

"Yes you can, Bella," he said strongly, touching her chin and staring deep into her eyes as she opened them weakly. "You're the strongest woman I know, Bella, you _can _do this. You're so close. Just a few more pushes, and you'll be able to meet your baby."

She groaned again, straining so hard she thought she would burst.

"The head's almost out, Bella, you're doing great," came Dr Gerandy's voice. "You need to hold on for the next few contractions, breathe through them, or the baby will come out too fast and you could tear."

Bella stared at him weakly.

"What? I _have _to push!"

"You have to hold it, Bella. Do your best."

"Come on, Bella, you're doing great," encouraged Edward, kissing her bent knee. Her breath came in short sharp pants as she tried to resist the overpowering urge. Finally Dr Gerandy told her she could push again, and she closed her eyes, hot tears squeezing out of the corners of them as she pushed with all her might. Suddenly she felt a slight release and she gasped, panting hard. Dr Gerandy smiled.

"The head is through, Bella. You're almost there."

Bella moaned, pushing again, starting to feel dizzy.

"I can't do it," she whispered to Edward.

"Yes you can, Bella," he whispered back softly.

Finally, when she felt like one more second of this would make her pass out, she felt a hot slithering, and a second later the pain and pressure were gone as the room filled loud, sharp, beautiful cries. Bella felt hot tears of joy and relief stream down her cheeks as a small, slimy bundle was placed onto her chest, her arms automatically cradling it carefully.

"Congratulations, Bella. You have a beautiful baby boy," said Dr Gerandy, as the nurses clapped and Stephenie the midwife smiled at Bella warmly. Bella laughed once in relief and wonder, staring at the baby boy in her arms, his huge eyes screwed up in his face as he wailed, his hands in fists.

"Hello, baby," she whispered, almost speechless with awe, as Edward put his arm tightly around her shoulders and squeezed her, kissing her gently on the forehead.

"He's beautiful, Bella," he murmured.

Suddenly a nurse came to Bella's side, arms outstretch, beginning to pick up the baby. Bella's eyes widened.

"No! Where are you taking my son!"

"It's ok, Bella," soothed Edward, pulling her arm back gently. "They just need to clean him up and check him quickly, he'll be right back."

She forced herself to relax as the nurse carried the baby over to the side of the room quickly, wrapping him in a blanket.

Minutes later, he was back in her arms, his crying lessening almost as soon as he came into contact with her. Bella rocked him gently, staring at his beautiful face with more love than she ever imagined it was possible for one person to have.

"He's perfect," she murmured, bending down to kiss him gently.

"He has your eyes," smiled Edward, reaching forward to stroke the baby's cheek ever so lightly with one finger as two big brown eyes stared up, slightly unfocused but never once moving from Bella's face.

**~o0o~**

A while later, Bella sat upright in bed, cradling her son as he nursed happily, Edward by her side. Her face in a permanently exhausted but overjoyed smile, she stroked her baby's head gently.

"You're so beautiful," she murmured. "And I promise, whatever happens, I won't ever let Felix lay a finger on you, whether he wants to or not." She sighed sadly. "You'll be fine. _We'll _be fine. You, and me." She glanced to the side. "And Edward. Fathers are overrated anyway." She tried to smile, but a single tear trickled slowly down her face. Edward kissed her gently.

"Bella... I know I'm not this baby's biological father. But... if you're happy about it... I would really like to be his daddy."

Bella smiled, turning towards Edward and leaning forward gently, kissing him softly on the mouth.

"I love you, Edward. You know that, don't you?" She turned to the baby boy in her arms, whose gentle snores indicated he had fallen asleep. "And I love you too," she whispered, rearranging herself as she lifted him off her breast just as there was a gentle knock at the door.

"Can we come in?"

"Yes," called Edward softly, putting a finger to his lips as Alice and Rosalie tiptoed in, followed by Emmett and Jasper. "He's just fallen asleep."

Alice and Rosalie immediately crowded around the Bella's bed, cooing quietly.

"Oh Bella, he's so beautiful," murmured Rosalie.

"How much does he weigh?" asked Alice, her eyes locked goofily on the gently breathing form still swaddled in blankets.

"Nine pounds, ten ounces," laughed Bella quietly. "A big, bouncy, beautiful, healthy baby."

"Congratulations, Bella," smiled Jasper warmly, his chin resting on Alice's shoulder as his arms wrapped around her.

"Has got a name?" asked Emmett. Bella frowned thoughtfully.

"I guess I haven't really had a chance to think about it yet." She smiled. "I should probably get right on that."

"Plenty of time for naming in the morning," came an airy voice from the doorway. Stephenie entered the room, business-like but still with a kind smile on her face. "Right now, mom and baby really need their sleep. It's been a long, exhausting night for everyone." She pushed the small crib closer to the bed as Rosalie and Alice kissed Bella goodbye, Emmett and Jasper following them out after congratulating Bella once again. "You'll want to put him in there soon so you can get some sleep," she told Bella, smiling. "You'll need it for the months to come." Bella laughed softly as Stephenie left, and lovingly stroked the tiny, warm, stripy hat that covered the baby's head. She looked up at Edward.

"What do you think about 'Jacob'." Edward looked confused. "For the baby. Jacob."

"Well, Bella, I mean, he's your son," Edward began hesitantly. Bella shook her head.

"If you're going to be his daddy, Edward, you should get a say in this. So what do you think?"

Edward leaned over and kissed her softly on the head, and smiled.

"Baby Jacob," said softly, and the baby stirred a little, as if hearing him. "It's perfect."

* * *

><p>[See - this is Jacob's <em>real <em>special place in this story... :') ]  
>(And a cameo from Stephenie Meyer! :P)<p>

Having read the *real* chapter now, what did you think of it? Did I fool you earlier? ;P  
>That's one thing I wasn't joking about - I really do love hearing from you guys, even if it's just to see you freaking about about Edward leaving Bella for Felix. :P<p>

Epilogue coming next Sunday, and that will be the final instalment of Learning to Live (feel free to, you know, throw a goodbye party or something... :P).  
>See you then!<p> 


	32. Epilogue

_First off, to anyone who ignored the 2nd notification they got later in the day last week about chapter 31... Might want to go check that out before continuing. ;)_

So, we've come to the end of Learning to Live's journey... I've had a great time, and I hope you guys have enjoyed yourselves too. :)  
>This is a short and sweet little epilogue, and I know they whole "1 year later" thing is kind of clichéd, but hey, that's never stopped me before. ;P<p>

Hopefully this will tie up any loose ends for you guys - enjoy! :))

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue ~ 1 year later<strong>

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jacob, happy birthday to you!" Alice and Rosalie cheered, as Jacob looked from Bella, to the large chocolate cake with the single big green candle on it, and back to Bella again, in confusion. Bella laughed, bending down to him in his high chair.

"Blow out your candle, Jacob! Are you ready?" She made a blowing face at him. "One... Two... Three... Blow!" Jacob squealed delightedly and clapped his small hands as the small flame flickered and extinguished under Bella's breath. Edward laughed, his hand going to Jacob's head.

"Good job, buddy!"

Jacob looked at him, a big grin on his face, and pointed excitedly at the cake which Bella was beginning to cut. She passed paper plates of cake around the table, rolling her eyes when Emmett immediately claimed the biggest one, and finally placed one in front of Jacob. He touched it cautiously. Now that he had it, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it. He looked up at Bella again, tapping the cake piece of cake with one finger.

"Momma?"

Jasper laughed from across the table.

"It's Alice you want to be worried about, Jake, not your mom. I'd eat that up quickly if I were you, or it might disappear before your very eyes."

The whole table laughed as Alice elbowed Jasper in the ribs hard enough to make him wince.

"Jasper Whitlock! I would _never _take my favorite almost-nephew's birthday cake from him! How dare you!"

Jasper smirked and raised his eyebrows.

"Just wait until it's smeared all over the Baby Gucci you made Bella dress him in, then we'll see how you feel." Alice pouted and they laughed harder, and Jacob finally decided that maybe the cake wasn't poisonous after all, picking up a piece in his chubby hand and mashing it into his mouth. Suddenly realizing that it actually tasted quite good, he grabbed at the plate, filling his hands with cake and plastering it all over his face in an attempt to get it into his mouth as fast as possible. Alice giggled, poking him gently on the nose.

"A boy after my own heart." She snapped a picture of him with the hi-tech camera she usually kept for work. "Just wash your hands before you touch your clothes," she muttered darkly under her breath. Jacob banged his hands on the table, oblivious.

"More!" he shouted at Bella. She laughed, patting him on the head as Edward cut him another small slice.

"Only because it's your birthday, Jake."

**~o0o~**

Jacob finally having decided that he had had enough cake, he demanded noisily to be let down out of his high chair. Gripping onto Edward's fingers with his freshly-cleaned hands to steady himself, he walked enthusiastically, but with a few wobbles, over to the couch, where he had left his favorite stuffed toy.

"Doggie!" he cried happily, sitting on the floor and hugging it tightly. They were almost inseparable.

"Hey, Jacob," said Alice, running over and sitting on the floor next to him. "Do you know what the best bit about birthdays is?" He looked at her questioningly. "You get _tons_ of new toys!" she said, theatrically producing a brightly wrapped box from behind her back and placing it in front of him. He gingerly pulled at a loose corner of giftwrap as the others sat on chairs around him, his face lighting up when he realized it tore easily. He quickly tore huge strips of it off, scrunching them in his hands and pulling them apart, laughing at this new game and ignoring the box that lay underneath the paper. Edward laughed and rolled his eyes, hunkering down next to Alice and Jacob.

"Look, Jacob. Like this." He quickly tore off the rest of the paper and opened the box to reveal a complex looking wooden box with holes of various shapes and sizes all over it, filled with brightly colored bricks to take out and push back in through the holes. "Wow, look at this, Jacob!" exclaimed Edward, his voice animated. "_Thank you_, Alice and Jasper."

Bella laughed as she watched her son bat the new toy aimlessly out of the way and instead pick up the empty cardboard box, peering into it and turning it upside down, puzzled. She gazed around the room, loving the opportunity to have them all together in one place again, which had started to become difficult as all their schedules became a little more hectic.

Rosalie, leaning down to talk to Jacob, sat on the couch next to Emmett, his arm around her protectively, a solid rock sparkling ostentatiously on her left hand. To Rosalie's delight, Emmett had popped the all-important question the Christmas after Jacob was born, and they were now happily married and three months into expecting their first child. They had bought a small house together on the outskirts of town, leaving Alice on her own in the apartment, which turned out to be a good thing when Jasper moved in there with her just a few weeks later. They both maintained that they were "taking it slow", but Bella knew that Alice was getting impatient, and she had confided in her and Rose that if Jasper didn't starting hinting about marriage soon, she was going to go right ahead and ask him herself.

As for her and Edward, well, they were still running around in circles and trying to get to grips with the whole parenting thing a year later. When Jacob was four months old, Felix had tried half-heartedly to make sure he got a say in his son's upbringing, much to Bella's distress. But after hearing Alice and Rosalie's comments and Jasper's testimony of her injuries for just five minutes, the judge immediately granted Bella full custody and sentenced Felix to ninety days imprisonment and a fine of $1000 for domestic abuse, ordering him not go near Bella or Jacob or to try and make contact with them again. Bella, terrified, had braced herself for a long and drawn-out battle, but to her surprise and immense relief, Felix had quietly accepted the charges and she had not seen or heard from him since.

She watched, smiling, as Jacob laughed joyously while Jasper dragged him around the room in the box from his gift from Rosalie and Emmett. Jasper stopped, turning to say something to Alice, and Jacob tried to climb out of the box by himself. The flimsy cardboard immediately tore, sending Jacob sprawling across the floor, his face crumpling instantly as he began to wail. Bella jumped up and ran to him, picking him up in her arms.

"Shh, Jakie, it's ok, Mommy's here." He buried his head into her shoulder and sniveled.

"No more," he whimpered. Bella stroked the back of his head and carried him to the couch where she sat between Edward and Emmett, whereupon Jacob immediately climbed onto Edward's lap for a hug. The grownups chortled and Edward ruffled Jacob's shock of thick, dark hair gently.

"I think somebody needs a nap," he muttered quietly, heaving Jacob onto his hip as he stood up. "C'mon Jake, let's go play in your room for a bit."

Rosalie and Emmett stood up slowly as Edward and Jacob left the room.

"I think we're going to head off, Bells," said Emmett, his arm around Rosalie's waist as she smiled at Bella apologetically, looking at little queasy. Rose had been suffering from a particularly horrible bout of morning sickness that seemed to be worst in the evenings, and although it was finally starting to get a bit better, it was still pretty bad. Bella squeezed Rosalie's hand sympathetically.

"Go home and take care of yourself, Rose. Better yet, have Emmett take care of you." She laughed. "I'm so glad you guys could come today."

Alice began to stand up too, her hand in Jasper's dragging him up as well.

"We should get going too. We have dinner reservations at that fancy new restaurant across town, and we don't want to be late." Bella's eyes widened a little as Alice referred to the new restaurant by the pier which had already become notorious for marriage proposals. She raised her eyebrows at Alice, at which Alice winked and grinned, but excitedly mouthed, "_Wasn't my idea!_"

Bella closed the door quietly behind their guests as Edward came back into the room.

"Out like a light," he smiled, pulling Bella back onto the couch with him and kissing her briefly but deeply. He nuzzled her neck gently. "That's for being the hottest mom at your son's birthday party." She giggled, and he sighed happily. "I know the last year and a half or so has been pretty complicated, Bells, but where we've managed to get to today? I wouldn't have it any other way." Bella smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her head back into the cushions. "I just can't picture my life without you and Jacob in it." She felt him shift around next to her, and then his warmth left her side. She frowned, but was too lazy to look up. "Bella?"

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"Bella, open your eyes." Confused, she did so, and gasped as she discovered Edward kneeling before her on one knee, a small black satin box in his hands, which stood open to display a thin but beautiful ring that twinkled delicately where the light hit it. Taking advantage of her speechlessness, Edward continued. "Since the first moment I laid eyes on you Bella, I always knew there was something special about you. As I got to know you better and better, I began to realize that as much as I tried to fight it at first, I just couldn't live without you in my life. Good days or bad days, I always know you'll be the one I turn to when everything else goes wrong. I love you Bella, so unbelievably much it hurts. Would you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?"

"Oh Edward," she whispered, slipping to her knees in front of him to join him, cradling his face in her hands. "You can't even begin to imagine how much I love you, will always love you. And I want nothing more than to tie myself to you in every possible way." He wiped a tear gently from the corner of her eye with a smile.

"Is that a yes?"

A laugh bubbled up uncontrollably from inside her.

"It's a thousand times yes!"

She kissed him deeply, hungrily, never wanting it to end. Finally she pulled back, breathless. Carefully, he pulled the ring from the box, taking Bella's left hand in his and slipping the ring gently onto her finger. Putting the box onto the table, he lifted her hand and kissed it next to her ring.

"Isabella Swan," he said quietly, the love in his eyes so strong and pure it almost hurt. "I promise, with all my heart, with every single part of my being, to love you. For every single moment of forever. However long that might be."

* * *

><p>And there we have it! The end of Learning to Live... *sob*. I'd love to know what you thought of it! :)<p>

Bella and Edward's story here is finished and I don't have any plans to continue on; however I wouldn't be opposed to doing a few outtakes in the future... ;) So let me know if you have any requests for specific ones! :))

At the moment, I don't have any plans to write any other fanfiction, Twilight or otherwise. However, if you're interested in looking at other things I've written you can take a look at my own website ciarabrewitt[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Also, I'll be starting work on my first original novel this summer, so if you want to follow my journey through that, you can check me out on Twitter (iSparkleToo)! :D

xx


	33. Extras

**Hello again! xD**

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU so much again to all of you for sticking with Learning to Live, and for coming back again after all these months. :')

Below is the April Fool's chapter I wrote and originally posted as chapter 31, which I know some of you saw; but I posting it again in case anyone who missed it wants to read it. :P  
>I don't foresee myself writing any other outtakes for Learning to Live, so this is probably all there's going to be... I hope you enjoy it and its silliness!<p>

_(oh... and please do read the author's note at the end for an update on what I've been doing since you last heard from me! XD )_

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><p><strong>Chapter 31 ~ "Alternate" version<strong>

"Well, Bella, everything looks like it's coming along absolutely fine." Dr Gerandy smiled as he washed his hands in the small sink in the corner of the private hospital room Jasper's connections had managed to get for Bella. He glanced at Alice and Rosalie, whose excited and nervous energy was evident all through the room. "You know, this will probably be a long process. I'm sure Bella wouldn't mind if you two went for coffee or something in the hospital cafeteria. I imagine she and Edward would appreciate some alone time to prepare themselves for the next few hours."

Alice and Rosalie looked anxiously at Bella, who smiled and shrugged.

"There's no point in everyone hanging out in this room all night. Why don't you go and wait for Jasper and Emmett to get here? Edward can keep me company."

"Are you sure, Bella?"

Bella shooed at them with her free hand.

"Go! You won't be missing anything here!"

Alice and Rosalie left reluctantly, followed by Dr Gerandy who simply flashed Bella another encouraging smile, telling her she was "doing great".

The room finally empty and quiet, Edward sank down into the chair next to Bella's bed, sighing heavily and running his hands through his hair nervously.

"Are you sure you're ok, Bella? You keep telling everyone that you're fine, but..."

"Edward..." Bella began, rubbing her belly gently as small contraction washed quickly over her. "Was I expecting to go into labor this evening? No, not exactly; but Dr Gerandy says it's just fine. Am I nervous about giving birth? _Of course. _But I have a good feeling about this." She paused. "And I'm also _excited_, so much, to be _finally_ meeting my baby." She couldn't help the grin that crept over her face as she glanced at her bulging stomach lovingly.

Edward grinned too, meeting her gaze as she looked back up again.

"I'm excited too, Bells. And I know you can do this. I'll be with you, every step of the way."

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Jasper's head suddenly appeared. The expression on his face was off – he almost looked worried.

"Hey, Bella. How are you doing?" His voice matched his face, and Bella was immediately concerned.

"I'm doing good... Jasper, is something wrong?"

Jasper hesitated.

"Edward, can I talk to you for a minute outside?"

Bella's eyes widened in an alarm to match Edward's who immediately shot out of his seat and followed Jasper, leaving the door ajar as Jasper spoke quietly. Bella's heart began to beat. Had Dr Gerandy told Jasper there was something wrong with the baby? She jumped as Edward's fist suddenly slammed against the door, sending it swinging back open into the room.

"What the _hell _is he doing here? I'm going to _KILL _him!"

Jasper grabbed Edward's arm as Bella's mouth dropped in confusion and alarm at the pure, unadulterated anger on Edward's face.

"Edward! _What _is going on?" Edward froze, as if he had forgotten Bella was still there. He opened his mouth, but Bella knew the look on his face all too well. "Do _not _tell me it's nothing, Edward. _Who _in the name of _God _is here that you need to _'kill'_?" He paused, still hesitating. "Edward, I swear, if you do not tell me what's going on I'm getting out of this bed right now and going home."

Edward hung his head in defeat, his hand still balled into fists at his side; his knuckles white. He sat on the edge of Bella's bed while Jasper waited at the door, his foot tapping impatiently and a similar, foreign look of anger on his face.

"Bella, I don't want you to freak out, but... Felix is here." Bella barely heard her gasp of astonishment she took as the room wavered briefly before her eyes. "Jasper and Alice saw him walking around a corner on the ground floor. Jasper tried to follow him, but he lost him at the elevators." He squeezed Bella's hand. "He asked an orderly where your room was, Bells. We think he heard Emmett on the phone to Rosalie when he was leaving his apartment." Bella took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Edward stood up. "Don't worry, Bells. We'll find him before you even notice he's here."

**~o0o~**

Edward was gone for what felt like hours. Bella's contractions had become obviously stronger, though they were still very much bearable. When she once again heard a gentle knock on the door, she knew it could only be Edward; back to tell her that Felix was gone at that everything was ok again. The large, dark head that appeared around the door said otherwise.

"Felix!" she whispered, feeling the color drain from her face.

Slipping quickly into the room, he closed the door behind him, raising his hands in front of him as if to signal he meant no harm.

"Can I sit?" he asked quietly, motioning to Edward's empty chair. Bella said nothing, her heart beating hard. "Bella, please." He tried to take her hand. "I'm sorry for sneaking in on you like this, but I really need to talk to you." He paused, waiting for her to say something. She gritted her teeth. "I feel like such an idiot. All the things I've done; the pain I caused you. If I could take it all back, I would in a heartbeat." She caught his pleading look out of the corner of her eye; and through her anger, through her hatred of Felix and everything he had done... she was surprised to find a hint of sincerity on his face that she had never seen before. "I shouldn't have let Heidi talk to you like that that day in the park. I know it doesn't fix anything, but I haven't spoken to her since." He smiled sadly to himself, almost laughing, as Bella tried to cope with the confusing new things Felix was suddenly telling her. "I guess I was just caught off guard, is all. I really didn't believe you that day you came back to my apartment to tell me you were pregnant." He reached out tentatively to touch her hand, and Bella surprised herself by not flinching or pulling back. "It was a bit of a shock to suddenly discover... that I was going to be a father." He looked up at her, and she held his gaze this time, still confused by the new honesty she could see clearly in his face. "And here we are." He touched her round belly and she shivered. He sat up straighter. "I'm so sorry, Bella. For everything. I know there's not anything I could say or do to make it up to you; and I know you're with that guy Edward now; but I really want to be part of this baby's like. I want to be a daddy."

Bella's heart lurched, and somehow, she knew in her core what the right thing to do was. She took Felix's hand, and waited for his gaze to meet hers.

"I believe you."

The grin of pure joy that spread over Felix's face was shattered as the door suddenly opened and Edward walked in.

"Bella, I couldn't..." He stopped, and Felix stood up quickly, his stance non-threatening in comparison to Edward's fury. "_GET AWAY FROM HER YOU PIECE OF CRAP!"_

"Edward, it's ok!" Bella's small voice was lost on Edward as he strode across the room and grabbed Felix t-shirt, Felix's ridiculous bulk no match for Edward's strength. "Edward, please, just listen!" Bella tried to shout, to calm Edward, to tell him Felix was ok; but Edward was too far gone in his anger to hear her. She whimpered with another, stronger contraction as Edward slammed Felix up against the wall, Felix for his part just letting things happen as if he felt he deserved this.

But before any real damage could be done Dr Gerandy strode quickly into the room, followed by Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett, who all hissed when they caught sight of Felix.

"That's it gentlemen, you need to take this outside," said Dr Gerandy firmly, not seeming to care that interfering in this fight could get him seriously injured. "It is vital that Bella does not get stressed or upset, as that could be extremely dangerous to both her and the baby at this point."

To Bella's surprise, Edward backed off Felix slightly, though dragged him with him as he turned towards the door.

"I'll be right back, Bella," he growled, "I'm just taking the trash out."

"Edward, please," Bella begged, "just hear him out!"

Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett stared in wonder at Bella as Edward and Felix left the room and Dr Gerandy busied himself with Bella's charts, appropriately playing the part of a caring but personally detached doctor.

"Bella... What the hell just happened?" Alice's brow crinkled in confusion as she voiced what everyone was thinking.

Bella found herself wiping a single tear from her eye as she hoped Edward didn't hurt Felix.

"He's changed, you guys." Rosalie and Jasper both opened their mouths to argue, but she ploughed on. "I know I've thought that before, but it's different this time. When Felix spoke to me just now he had a look I'd _never _seen on him before. I really believe he's going to be there for me and this baby now, as well as Edward."

Emmett sighed as the others looked at her dubiously.

"You know, part of me doesn't want to believe you Bella; but the way that guy just stood there ready to take whatever Edward was going to throw at him kind of makes me think you're right. From what I've known of how Felix usually acts... It really does seem like he's changed."

Alice smiled, sitting on the bed next to Bella.

"Well, if it's good enough for you guys, it's good enough for me. If Felix is ready to step up and be a dad for this baby, that's just one more person who's going to love it to pieces."

**~o0o~**

Bella's labor progressed, yet neither Edward nor Felix showed any sign of returning. Bella groaned and squeezed Rosalie's hand as yet another strong wave of contractions washed over her.

"_Where are they?_"

"Ok, Bella, it's time to push!" announced Dr Gerandy from between her legs.

"No, they need to be here!" Bella looked around frantically at the others in the room. "You don't think Edward's done something to him, do you?"

Alice stroked her hair, a worried expression on her face.

"I'm sure they're just talking it out," she murmured.

"Sorry Bella, but this baby isn't going to wait." Dr Gerandy's voice took on a hint more authoritativeness. "You need to start pushing _now_."

Bella felt herself drifting in and out of awareness, the pain intermingling with her worries that Edward wasn't there; that Felix was going to miss the birth of his child. All of a sudden, the sense of pressure that had been building inside her all evening disappeared and the room was filled with shrill cries.

"Congratulations, Bella," said Dr Gerandy, placing a bundle onto her chest as the room filled with gasps and smiles, "it's a girl!"

Bella peered eagerly into the blankets in her arms, her heart almost bursting with joy and love and everything else forgotten as she looked down at the tiny face. "Hello, beautiful," she whispered. She didn't even notice as Dr Gerandy moved around the room, couldn't take her eyes off the baby as one of the nurses cleaned her up, desperate to have her daughter back in her arms again. Finally, the medical staff had left, and Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper crowded around her, the girls cooing quietly at the baby.

"Congratulations, Bella," smiled Jasper warmly. "You did great."

"She's beautiful, Bells," said Rosalie gently.

Bella looked around at her friends at bit her lip, and inkling of worry creeping up on her when she was reminded who was missing. Alice noticed immediately.

"We'll go and see if we can find Edward and Felix. They should be here. Will you be ok on your own for a few minutes, Bella?"

"Thanks guys," mumbled Bella, relieved. She stroked her daughter's small head gently and smiled. "And don't worry, I won't be on my own."

Alice grinned, and followed the others as they left in search of Felix and Edward. Bella rocked the baby gently in her arms, humming a quiet lullaby her mother used to sing to her as a child. She expected it to take a while to find Edward and Felix, wherever they had gone to – hopefully – sort things out, and was surprised when the door opened slowly again just a few minutes later. Bella felt a smile fill her face as Edward appeared, and felt that smile grow as Felix followed him; not a trace of anger left on their faces and neither of them looking hurt.

"Bella," whispered Edward when he spotted the bundle of blankets in her arms, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you. I promised you I'd help you through this..."

Bella smiled, unable to find it in herself to be even the slightest bit annoyed at him right now.

"It's ok, Edward. You're here now." She looked up at Felix, who was now standing next to Edward, an expression of awe and joy on his face as he looked down at his beautiful baby girl. "And you guys sorted everything out?"

Edward nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen when you tried to tell me Felix had changed." He shifted his gaze from Bella up to Felix, and suddenly his face became nervous. "Actually, Bella... There's something you should know." Edward bit his lip and dropped his gaze, and Felix put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"It's ok, Edward. You can do this."

Bella frowned in confusion.

"Wh...?"

Edward took a deep, decisive breath.

"Bella, when Felix and I were talking... Well, we discovered some things. We... Well, I..." Felix squeezed Edward's shoulder encouragingly, and Edward looked at him shyly. "I guess I discovered how you fell for Felix in the first place, Bella." Felix's smile broadened and he reached down to take Edward's hand in his.

"And I know why you fell for Edward."

Edward met Bella's gaze nervously but hopefully, and she felt her mouth gape in astonishment.

"You two... You mean... you... you're..." She looked from Edward to Felix, to the hands that hung between them, fingers intertwined; and back to their faces, suddenly noticing the way they were looking at each other. "Aw geeze..."

Edward sank immediately to the chair beside Bella, touching her arm gently.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I feel so bad about deserting you like this, so guilty. I still want to be a part of your life, if you'll let me, but the way I feel about Felix... I can't help it. I'm sorry Bella." He looked at her imploringly as Felix chimed in too.

"I never meant to come between you and Edward, Bella. I hope this hasn't ruined everything I've only just managed to get back."

Bella shook her head slowly, cogs turning in her mind as she allowed everything to figure itself out. She found herself smiling up at Edward and Felix, slightly bemused but otherwise unfazed.

"You know what? I'm happy for you guys. Really. I know I should be mad at both of you, but I'm not. I can't explain it, I just..." She smiled as the baby in her arms moved. "Maybe I'm just too busy loving this little one."

Felix sat gently on the bed next to Bella and smiled, stroking the baby's head gently.

"Has she got a name yet?"

Bella looked at him shyly.

"I was thinking, maybe, if you're ok with it... Felicity. After her dad."

Felix beamed.

"It's perfect. Little Felicity..." Felicity wriggled again in her blankets at the sound of his voice. "Can I hold her?" Bella carefully passed Felicity into Felix's arms, and he grinned, showing her to Edward. "Isn't she perfect?"

"She's beautiful," smiled Edward, his hand on Felix's knee as he leaned closer to see her. All three of them turned their heads at the sound of a gentle knocking on the door. Jasper poked his head into the room.

"Can we come in?"

Bella nodded, smiling sleepily as all of her friends traipsed back into the room once more. Alice quickly took stock of the mood and grinned, nodding and Felix and Edward.

"So everything went ok in here?"

Bella laughed gently.

"Yes, Alice. Everybody's happy, and we're all enjoying darling Felicity." Alice laughed in return, nodding her approval at Bella's choice of baby name, as a young, russet-skinned man in blue overalls bumbled into the already crowded room with a small cleaning trolley.

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, noticing the full room. I'll come back la..." His eyes fell on bundle of blankets and baby that rested on Felix's lap, Felicity's face just poking out of the corner. A soft look fell across his face. "Is that your baby?" He seemed not to be able to help himself as he took a step across the room towards her. "She's beautiful..."

Bella, bemused, smiled despite herself. Right now, she loved anybody that loved her baby.

"Her name's Felicity."

The man grinned.

"She's adorable." He looked at Bella earnestly. "I really mean it. A buddy of mine runs 'Bonniest Baby' competitions all the time, and she really is the most adorable newborn I've ever seen..." He looked back at Felicity, almost longingly, and hesitated. "I never asked this before... And I hope I don't lose my job over this but... Could I hold her?" He bit his lip and looked back at Bella for permission. "She's just so pretty and beautiful, I feel like I just want to... hug her forever!" The young man blushed and cleared his throat, looking at Bella nervously. "My name's Jake, by the way."

Bella smiled kindly, faintly amused at this not-much-more-than-a-teenager but willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Well Jake, if it's ok with her dad, I'm sure Felicity would love to have you hold her." She glanced at Felix, who smiled at Jake as well, beaming with pride at the adoration of his daughter.

"Sure thing, Jake." He passed Felicity gently into Jake's equally strong-looking arms, and Jake seemed to melt as he looked into her tiny, curious eyes.

"I hope this doesn't seem weird, but any time you need a sitter..." Bella almost laughed at Jake's eagerness, though with so many friends and family to love her, she doubted Felicity would ever be without someone to watch her. But Jake pressed on. "I swear, I'd do bottles, diaper changes, bath time... I just have this in explicable urge to spend as much time as you'll let me with beautiful little Felicity." He half pulled a face. "I know that sounds kind of weird..." A quiet murmur of understanding laughter spread across the room, as Felicity began to fuss. "I think someone wants to be back with her mom," Jake smiled, planting a gentle kiss on the baby's dusty pink cheek before passing her carefully back to Bella. Bella thanked him quietly, stroking the downy wisps of hair on her daughters head as she soothed her.

"Don't worry, my baby," she murmured. "You're surrounded by so many people who love you and care for you. I promise, nothing bad is ever going to happen to us again."

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><p>hehe...<p>

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So anyway... :L

Some of you might have been wondering what I've been up to over the last - wow, it's coming on a year now, right? :O Well, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing...

Last summer, I spent two months working on the first draft of my first original novel, Raven! It's my goal to eventually edit it properly and get it (and its as-yet-unwritten sequel) published, but what I really need now is peoples thoughts and opinions on it as it stands.

So, if you're interested in young adult fantasy (which I'm guessing most of you are due to Twilight! :P), I'd love if you'd take a look at it and let me know what you think!  
>Please remember that it <em>is <em>only a first draft, so I know there are a lot of things which need work; but other than that, tell me anything that comes to mind!  
>At the moment, you can read the first draft of Raven here:<p>

**figment . com**

**/books/363081-Raven**

_(remove spaces and put all on one line - if it doesn't work, there's a link on my profile too! :D)_

THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING! :D


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